


From This Moment On

by SerenaElisabet



Category: Political RPF, Political RPF - US 20th c., Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2020-12-09 15:57:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 53,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20997455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaElisabet/pseuds/SerenaElisabet
Summary: When Hillary Rodham, a young lawyer and single mother meets fellow lawyer, Bill Clinton, on her first day of work at a new firm, she had no idea that he was about to turn her world upside down in the best possible way. Alternate Universe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! I started working on this a few months ago and then put it aside for a while while life was happening but my circumstances have changed and now I have some extra free time (for now) and was inspired to start working on it again. Timeline wise, it takes place in the late 80s but I've played with their ages and aged them down. Hillary is in her late twenties/early thirties and Bill is in his early thirties. Hopefully you enjoy!

Hillary Rodham took a deep breath as she prepared to embark on her new adventure. She had just dropped her three year old daughter off at daycare, and was preparing to step into the Chicago offices of Simmons, Miller, and Associates for the first time after moving from New York City.  
“Well, here goes nothing,” Hillary muttered to herself as she pressed the button for the 14th floor.  
She was lost in thought as the elevator doors closed until a voice broke her out of her daydreaming.  
“Wait, hold the elevator, please!”  
Slightly surprised, juggling her purse and a box of personal belongings in one hand, she held open the elevator with the other.  
“Thanks,” she heard a man say with a classic Southern drawl, as he hopped onto the elevator.  
“What floor?” Hillary asked, as she couldn’t help but noticing how handsome the man was. He appeared to be around the same age as her, maybe a year or two older. He had a boyish face and a head full of thick dark brown hair.  
“14,” the man answered. He noticed Hillary’s box of belongings.  
“You must be the new associate?” the man asked. “At Simmons and Miller?”  
Hillary chuckled, “That’s me.” She realized her box of belongings and the fact that they were going to the same floor must have been a dead giveaway. She was happy that at least one of her new coworkers seemed to be nice and pleasant. “I’m Hillary Rodham.”  
“Bill Clinton. Very pleased to meet you.”  
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Hillary said, giving Bill a grateful smile.  
The elevator arrived on their floor and Matthew Miller, the Managing Partner for the Chicago office who had interviewed and hired Hillary for the position was waiting for her.  
“Hillary! Good morning,” He kindly greeted with a warm smile. “And Bill! I was going to ask you to show Hillary the ropes today but you already met.”  
“Yes, we did,” Hillary said, chuckling.  
“Hillary just transferred here from the New York office,” Matthew explained to Bill before turning back towards Hillary. “Well, how about I send you to Human Resources to get started with some paperwork, and then I’ll have Bill show you around and help you get settled in?” Matthew suggested.  
“Sounds like a plan!” Hillary answered, smiling.  
“I can take her to Human Resources,” Bill kindly offered. He couldn’t explain it but even though they had only exchanged a few words and had only spent a couple of minutes together, he was feeling instantly attracted to this woman. He wanted to learn more about her.  
“Oh, that would be great,” Matthew replied.  
“Bill!”  
That idea was interrupted when a curvy woman with long blonde curly hair started running towards them.  
“Morning, Diedre,” Bill said, sighing. Hillary noticed he didn’t look happy to see this woman.  
“Good morning, honey,” Diedre cooed, giving Bill a peck on the cheek. “Who’s this?” She asked Bill suspiciously.  
“This is Hillary Rodham, the new associate who transferred here from New York,” Bill explained. “Hillary, this is Diedre Goodman. She’s one of the firm’s legal assistants.”  
“Nice to meet you,” Diedre said shortly to Hillary before turning back to Bill. “We have time to get coffee together before work, baby.”  
“Um...well, actually…” Bill really wanted to get to know Hillary more but he didn’t want to upset Diedre either.  
“It’s fine. I’m sure I can find my own way to Human Resources,” Hillary said, sensing some tension between Bill and Diedre.  
“Hillary, no, I’m sorry…” Bill started apologizing.  
“It’s fine, really,” Hillary assured Bill. “I’ll just see you later, I guess.” She nervously cleared her throat.  
Bill resignedly nodded as Hillary and Matthew walked away towards the direction of the Human Resources department.  
***  
After getting everything settled with Human Resources and filling out all of the appropriate paperwork, Matthew showed Hillary her new office.  
“I hope sharing an office with Bill isn’t a problem,” Matthew said. “He’ll show you the ropes and get you started with a few cases.”  
“Sounds great,” Hillary enthusiastically replied as she put her belongings on the bare and empty desk across from Bill’s that she assumed was hers.  
Bill walked into the office a moment later carrying a cup of coffee and a few folders.  
“Nice to see you again, Hillary,” Bill kindly greeted. “Everything good with Human Resources?”  
“Yep,” Hillary answered, smiling. She started unpacking her belongings and setting up her desk.  
“Maybe you can get Hillary caught up on the Hawkins Corporation suit?” Matthew suggested to Bill. “It’s a pretty standard civil suit. We should be able to win it with yours and Bill’s help. You two will be co-counsel on that one if that’s okay,” Matthew explained to Hillary.  
“Sounds good to me,” Hillary replied.  
Bill nodded, “No problem, Matt.”  
“You’re in good hands with Bill, Hillary. He’s one of the top associates here,” Matthew said. “I’ll leave you two to it but I’m just down the hallway if either of you needs anything.”  
Hillary nodded, “Thank you, Matthew.”  
Matthew smiled and nodded before exiting their office.  
“So, do you want a tour of the offices?” Bill offered.  
“That would be lovely,” Hillary answered with a smile. “But first, I’m dying for a cup of coffee. I assume there's a break room around here somewhere?”  
Bill nodded and smiled, “It’s just down the hall. Help yourself.”  
Hillary nodded and quietly excused herself from the room. 

Bill couldn’t help but be a bit noisy. With Hillary momentarily gone, he wandered over to her desk and took a look at the pictures and belongings that she had unpacked already. He was slightly taken aback when he saw a framed photograph of Hillary with an adorable little girl who was a spitting image of Hillary. They both had wide smiles on their faces and Hillary’s face in the picture was filled with love for the girl. Bill smiled to himself at the sight and decided to ask Hillary about the girl another time. 

*** 

Hillary was exhausted by the time she got back to her apartment, a few hours later than she had intended to be home by. She was grateful that her best friend, Melissa had been able to pick up her daughter from daycare and babysit for a few hours. That was one of the reasons she had upended her and her daughter’s lives, in order to be closer to friends and family, since she knew that with a demanding job such as her, that being around close friends and family would make childcare a lot easier than it had been when she was basically on her own in New York City. Getting up to speed on all her new cases had taken her longer than she expected but Bill was incredibly patient with her and he had been very helpful the entire day. She was exhausted after her long work day but overall she was happy that aside from the awkward moment with Diedre, who she had found out was Bill’s girlfriend, in the morning, and a few awkward run-ins with Diedre throughout the day, that her first day of work had gone a lot better than she had expected.  
“Mommy!” Hillary heard as she turned her key in the door and stepped into her apartment.  
“Hi, sweetie!” Hillary grinned, crouching down and enveloping her daughter Jessica into a tight hug.  
“I missed you, mommy!” Jessica said.  
“Aww, I missed you, too, Kitty Cat. So much,” Hillary replied, peppering Jessica with kisses before scooping Jessica up and walking into the kitchen where Melissa was washing dishes. “Were you a good girl for Auntie Melissa?” she asked Jessica.  
“Oh, she was an angel. As always,” Melissa answered.  
“Thanks so _much_ for watching her, Mel,” Hillary gratefully said. “You’re a lifesaver.”  
“Oh, it was no trouble, Hill,” Melissa said, waving her hand. “Any time. You know that.”  
“Did you eat dinner already?” Hillary asked.  
Melissa nodded, “We made you a plate. It’s in the fridge.”  
Hillary nodded, “It’s almost bedtime, Munchkin.”  
“But you _just_ got home, mommy,” Jessica pouted.  
Hillary nodded and sighed, “I know, baby, I’m sorry.”  
“Will you give me a bath and tuck me in, mama?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary nodded, “Of course, Kitty Cat.” She rubbed Jessica’s back. “You can get going if you want, Melissa. Thanks again for watching her.”  
“I can stay for a bit. I’ll warm your dinner up while you get Jess ready for bed,” Melissa offered.  
“Thank _you_,” Hillary gratefully said. It was moments like this that she was happy that she had moved back to her hometown.  
“Come on, Kitty Cat. Let’s get ready for bed,” She said to Jessica.  
Jessica sweetly nodded. 

Hillary quickly bathed Jessica and got her ready for bed.  
“Sleep tight, baby,” Hillary said, tucking Jessica in. “I love you so much, baby girl.”  
“I love you, too, mama,” Jessica sweetly said.  
“Get some rest, Kitty Cat,” Hillary said, placing a gentle kiss on Jessica’s forehead.  
Jessica yawned and closed her eyes. Hillary smiled to herself as she carefully stood up from the bed and tiptoed out of Jessica’s room, turning off the light on her way out. 

“That looks _amazing_,” she said to Melissa as she walked into the kitchen and saw Melissa place a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs on the kitchen table.  
“I figured you’d be hungry,” Melissa explained. “You had a long day. Wine?”  
“Yes, please,” Hillary answered gratefully.  
“I need all the details from your first day,” Melissa said as she poured two glasses of Chardonnay.  
Hillary shrugged, “It was fine. Long, but fine. Everyone seems really nice. There’s this one guy一”  
“Ohhhh, a guy!” Melissa teased.  
Hillary laughed, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. He has a girlfriend. She works there too as a legal assistant.”  
“Of course, all the good ones are taken,” Melissa said, rolling her eyes.  
Hillary laughed and took a bite of her spaghetti. Hillary and Melissa laughed and talked into the night as Hillary regaled Melissa with tales from her first day. 

***  
Bill sighed and rolled over in bed. It was two in the morning and he couldn't sleep. He had been tossing and turning all night. His girlfriend Diedre was sound asleep next to him but he couldn’t get his thoughts about Hillary, his wonderful, amazing, funny, and, gorgeous, new coworker out of his mind. He knew technically Diedre was his girlfriend but their relationship had been going downhill for the past few weeks and he desperately wanted to take Hillary out on a date.  
_What the hell am I going to do?_ he thought in frustration as he rolled over and attempted sleep for the millionth time that night. 

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you are all enjoying so far! Since you asked for more here it is lol. I'll aim to update about once a week or so but updating a little early since I have the first few chapters written already and I have some extra free time.

“Hey, are you hungry? It’s lunch time.”  
Hillary looked up from her work when she heard Bill’s voice. She had been so busy with her work that she hadn't realized that it was already past noon.   
“I was going to grab a sandwich downstairs. Care to join?” Bill offered with a smile.   
Hillary had been working at the firm for several days and so far she was settling in well and doing an excellent job. Bill’s helpfulness and kindness definitely helped.   
Hillary checked her watch and nodded. She smiled at Bill. “A sandwich sounds great.”  
Bill smiled in return and nodded.   
The two of them took the elevator downstairs to the cafe that was situated on the main floor of their office building.   
“My treat,” Bill said, after they had ordered their food, pulling out his credit card.   
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Bill,” Hillary bashfully replied, pulling her wallet out of her purse.   
“I don’t mind,” Bill said, waving his hand as he paid for their respective meals.   
“Thank you,” Hillary said, feeling uncharacteristically flustered.   
They grabbed their food when it was ready and took it over to a nearby table.   
“So, how are you liking Chicago so far? I know it probably doesn’t compare to New York,” Bill said, as they started eating.   
“I love Chicago,” Hillary answered, taking a sip of her coffee. “I actually grew up here in the suburbs, in Park Ridge, not too far from the city. I miss New York but its not that big of an adjustment.”   
“Oh,” Bill replied, slightly surprised. “So, what made you leave New York if you don’t mind me asking?”   
“Well, when I heard that the Simmons and Miller Chicago office was looking for a new associate to join the team, I figured it was the perfect opportunity for me. I moved to New York after law school   
when I got a job after graduation, and I love New York a lot, but it wasn’t home, you know? I really wanted to be close to my family and friends again. And my best friend from college moved here for work a while ago, too.” Hillary figured that Bill had probably seen or noticed the pictures of Jessica on her desk by this point but she didn’t really feel like going into details at the moment so she just gave him half of the story for now.   
Bill nodded, in an understanding matter. He felt like Hillary was holding something back and he really wanted to ask her about who he assumed was her daughter but he had a feeling that Hillary would open up in time.   
He noticed Hillary waving at one of their other coworkers, Jonathan, one of the firm’s first-year associates who walked over to their table.   
“Um, Diedre was looking for you,” Jonathan awkwardly said to Bill. “She seemed pissed that you didn’t take her to lunch.”  
Bill sighed and rolled his eyes. “Thanks. I’ll smooth things over with her later.”   
Jonathan nodded and left Bill and Hillary to their lunch.   
“Um, I can go back upstairs if you want to have lunch with Diedre,” Hillary awkwardly offered.  
“No, it’s fine,” Bill replied. “She’s just...possessive sometimes.” He frowned.   
Hillary awkwardly nodded.   
“I’ll probably break up with her soon. I haven’t been happy with her for a while now,” Bill admitted to Hillary.   
“How long have you two been together for?” Hillary asked, not wanting to get involved in their private business but she was also intrigued at the same time.   
“About a year,”Bill answered. “Since she got hired at the firm last year. She’s getting antsy about wanting to get married and have kids. It’s too much. I just want to enjoy my thirties, you know? I’m not looking to settle down any time soon.”  
“Oh...yeah, for sure,” Hillary managed to muster and she nodded. Now she definitely couldn’t tell him about her daughter any time soon, she realized, if settling down and having kids was going to be a dealbreaker for him like it had been in other failed relationships she had had after having Jessica. She sighed.   
_Guess I’m destined to be single_ she sadly thought.   
“Everything okay?” Bill asked, noticing a faraway look in Hillary’s eyes.  
Hillary faked a smile, “Yep, everything’s great.”  
* * *   
As Hillary and Bill got back to work later that afternoon, Hillary noticed that Bill kept stealing glances at her. She was trying not to look back but she couldn’t help it. She started chuckling to herself and tried to distract herself with work. Bill smirked and did the same. 

Later that day, as they were finishing up for the day Hillary checked her watch and she was relieved that they were actually finished at a decent time for once. She still had time to pick Jessica up from daycare herself and spend some quality time with her before Jessica’s bedtime. It had been an adjustment period for the both of them, moving to a new state and Hillary starting a new job, so she was very much looking forward to a relaxing night in with her girl.   
She let out a sigh of relief.  
“You okay?” Bill asked her, hearing her sigh.   
“Oh, yeah. Just happy that we’re done by five for once,” Hillary gratefully answered, smiling.   
Bill nodded, “It’s nice, isn’t it?”   
“For sure,” Hillary responded.   
“Hey, why don’t we take advantage?” Bill suggested as he packed up his briefcase. “We could round up a few of the other associates and go out for drinks? Blow off some steam? There’s a pub right across the street.”   
“Oh, uh...I can’t tonight,” Hillary answered, feeling flustered. “I have a...family thing.” She vaguely answered, knowing that it would be too late to find a babysitter for Jessica and she really did just want to have a night in at home with Jessica.   
“Oh, okay. No problem,” Bill assured her. “Another time then.”  
Hillary nodded, “Yeah, another time for sure.”   
They finished gathering up their belongings and Bill turned off the lights in their office. They started walking out.   
“Hey, Hillary?” Bill asked just as the two of them were about to reach the elevators.  
“Yes?”   
“Would you want to grab dinner with me tomorrow night?” Bill asked, with a hopeful expression on his face.  
“Like...a date?” Hillary squeaked out, taken aback. She had a feeling Bill was into her and she couldn’t help liking him either but she hadn’t been expecting him to ask her out so quickly.   
Bill shrugged, “Yeah, it can be a date if you want it to be.”  
“What about Diedre?”  
Bill shrugged again, “Don’t worry about her. I’m seriously going to break up with her any day now.”   
Hillary sighed, “Okay, but there’s something you need to know first.”  
She sighed again. It was now or never. Telling men about Jessica and being a single mom usually scared them away so Hillary always tried to rip the band-aid off and tell them as soon as possible, that way it wouldn’t be an issue later on in the relationship. If they couldn’t accept Jessica, the single most important person in Hillary’s life, then Hillary didn’t want them in her life to begin with.   
“Anything,” Bill said, nodding encouragingly.   
“I...um...I have a three year old daughter. Her name is Jessica. You probably saw the pictures on my desk.”   
Bill nodded. “I did. And, so what? It’s fine.” He smiled reassuringly at Hillary.   
“Oh, okay,” Hillary said, nodding. She felt relieved but she was still slightly skeptical. “It’s just, its been a problem with guys in the past. So if it is going to be a problem, don’t lie to me. Speak up now.”  
“Hillary...it’s fine,” Bill assured her. “I love kids.”   
“But what about what you were saying earlier about Diedre pressuring you to get married and have kids?” Hillary asked, totally confused.   
Bill shrugged and laughed, “Just because I don’t want kids of my own right now, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to get married and have a family someday. Plus, I really like you, Hillary. If your daughter is anything like you are, then I’m sure she’s great. We can take things slow if you want but I want to get to know you better, Hillary. Outside of work.”  
Hillary was silent for a moment.   
“It’s just dinner,” Bill tried, when Hillary didn’t say anything. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”  
He noticed a slight smile creeping onto Hillary’s face.  
“There we go!” Bill encouraged.  
Hillary rolled her eyes and smiled. “Okay, fine, you’ve convinced me.” She chuckled. “I still have to ask if my friend Melissa is free to babysit tomorrow but if she is, then we can go to dinner. But can we go later in the evening, after I put Jessica to bed? I don’t want to confuse her or anything by her seeing me going out with a random guy.”   
Bill nodded, “Sure, no problem.”   
Hillary nodded, “Great. She goes to bed around seven-thirty so anytime after that works.”   
“Should I pick you up at eight, Rodham?” Bill suggested, as he pressed the button for the elevator.  
Hillary smirked as the elevator arrived and the doors opened, “It’s a date, Clinton.” 

* * * 

“Oh, God, Mel, I’m so nervous,” Hillary said as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. She had put Jessica to bed a while ago and Bill was due to arrive at her place any minute. Melissa was helping Hillary get ready in Hillary’s bathroom.   
All day at work that day, Bill and Hillary had both anxiously been anticipating going out on their date later that night.   
“Don’t be nervous, Hill. He sounds like a really nice guy,” Melissa encouraged as she spritzed Hillary with a bit of perfume.   
“He _is_ really nice,” Hillary replied. “But I haven’t gone on a date in ages. All my dates end in disaster when they find out about Jessica. Plus, he _does_ have a girlfriend. Who works with us, too. Ugh, why did I agree to this?” She shook her head in disbelief at herself.   
“Hill, calm down. It’s going to be fine,” Melissa urged. “It’s just dinner, Hill. And while its not an ideal situation, you said he wants to break up with the girlfriend anyways.”   
“Yeah, but if this goes south, I still have to work with him everyday. I can’t even avoid him. We literally share an office,” Hillary sighed as she frantically applied a few coats of mascara to her eyelashes.  
“It sounds like you guys already have good chemistry from what you told me about him. Everything’s going to be fine, Hill,” Melissa repeated, encouragingly. “You look amazing by the way. Your ass looks great in that dress. Bill’s gonna love it.” Melissa smirked.  
Melissa had picked out a black cocktail dress that hugged Hillary’s curves in all the right places that Melissa had found shoved in the back of Hillary’s closet. Hillary had protested at first but after putting it on, she did have to admit to herself that it looked great on her.   
Hillary rolled her eyes at Melissa, “Shut up. But I do have to say, that it does feel nice to be able to fit into a dress that I owned before I got pregnant with Jessica.”   
“See?” Melissa said, smiling.   
They both heard a knock on the door of Hillary’s apartment.   
“Oh, God, can you go stall for a minute or two, Mel?” Hillary nervously asked as she applied her lipstick.  
“No problem, Hill.” Melissa left the bathroom and went to answer the door.   
“You must be Bill,” Melissa said when she opened the door.   
Bill chuckled nervously, “That’s me.”   
“Come on in. Hillary’s still getting dressed but she should be ready in a minute.” Melissa ushered Bill into the apartment.  
“You must be Melissa,” Bill said.  
Melissa nodded and smiled, “Yep, that’s me. I’m Hillary’s best friend. It’s really nice to meet you, Bill.”   
“Likewise.”   
“Hi, Bill.”   
Bill felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw Hillary walk into the living room.   
“H-h-hi,” he stammered out, momentarily forgetting how to speak.  
“Ready to go?” Hillary asked, but not without noticing Bill’s surprise. She grabbed her purse.   
“Yeah, let’s hit the road,” Bill said, pulling himself together.   
Hillary nodded and smiled. She turned to Melissa, “Jessica should be fine. She’ll probably sleep through the night but let me know if there are any issues. We’ll try not to stay out too late.”   
“Oh, go enjoy yourself, Hill. You deserve it. Take your time. Jessica is sound asleep, we’ll be fine.” Melissa said with a grin.  
“Thanks, Mel. See you later,” Hillary said as she turned to leave.  
“Bye, Melissa. It was nice to meet you,” Bill said, following Hillary.   
“Same to you. You guys have fun,” Melissa replied.   
Hillary turned around on her way out before closing the door. “_Thank you_,” She gratefully mouthed to Melissa with a smile.   
Melissa waved her hand like it was nothing. “_Now go_!” She mouthed back.   
Hillary chuckled to herself as she left the apartment. 

* * *   
“I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for but I figured Italian was a safe bet?” Bill asked as they arrived at the restaurant.  
“Italian’s great. I love Italian,” Hillary said, smiling.   
“Perfect,” Bill said as they were seated. “Do you want a bottle of wine?”  
Hillary shrugged, “Sure, why not?”  
“White or red?”   
“Well I prefer white but…”  
Bill smiled, “White is fine.”  
Hillary nodded and smiled.   
“So, are you enjoying working at the firm so far?” Bill asked, making conversation.   
“Oh, yeah, its great,” Hillary enthusiastically replied. “I love the work we’re doing and everybody’s been so nice and helpful. It’s different from the New York office.”  
“Yeah, we’re like a family. If you ever need anything from any of us, don’t hesitate to ask,” Bill offered.   
Hillary nodded appreciatively. She decided to take this opportunity of getting to talk to Bill outside of work to try and get to know him better. “We always talk about me. I want to learn more about you.”   
“Ask away,” Bill piped in, chuckling.   
Hillary smiled, “Well, what brought you to Chicago? You’re obviously not from here.”   
Bill smiled, “Well, I grew up in Arkansas and went to Georgetown. After college I studied at Oxford for a bit before going to law school at Yale. After graduation I travelled and did some volunteer work for a bit before I got a job as a First Year Associate at the D.C office of Simmons and Miller but when they opened the Chicago office, they asked if I was open to transferring and I accepted. I’ve been here for a few years now and its been great. It’s a wonderful company and office.”  
“Did you say Yale? I went to Yale Law too. We must have only been a few years apart,” Hillary realized. “I graduated in ‘84.”   
“I was class of ‘82. Small world,” Bill replied, laughing.   
“I wonder if we ever crossed paths without realizing,” Hillary said, taking a sip of her wine.   
“Probably,” Bill realized. “We must have.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “Before we put our orders in, do you mind if I run and call Melissa quickly to check on Jessica? She’s probably sleeping but I want to be sure.”   
“Oh, go ahead. No problem,” Bill graciously said, nodding.   
“_Thank you_,” Hillary gratefully said. “Be right back, promise.”  
Bill nodded as Hillary scurried away from the table.   
He drank his wine and read the menu while he waited for Hillary to return.   
“Sorry about that,” Hillary apologetically said when she returned to the table a few minutes later.   
“Oh, no problem,” Bill assured her. “Everything okay?”  
Hillary nodded, “Melissa said Jessica is still sound asleep.”   
Bill nodded, “Good. I’m glad.”   
“Sorry, we’re not really ever apart from each other so this is kind of hard for me. I think I'm having some separation anxiety,” Hillary explained to Bill. “But I needed a night out.”   
“Well I’m sorry to have taken you away from her,” Bill apologized, feeling slightly guilty suddenly.  
Hillary waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Now that I know that she’s asleep, I can relax. Really.”  
Bill nodded and poured Hillary another glass of wine, “And you _did_ deserve a night out.”   
Hillary grinned and sipped her wine after Bill was finished pouring.   
“So...is Jessica’s dad not in the picture?” Bill awkwardly asked Hillary after they had ordered their food.   
Hillary sighed, “It’s complicated. He lives in Florida. We’re not together anymore. We weren’t ever really...together I guess. Not in the traditional sense anyways. He was just a guy I was blowing off steam and law school stress with when we were seeing each other. We tried to make it work when I was pregnant but ultimately, we’re just not compatible together. He sees Jessica a few times a year. She loves when he pays any attention to her but sadly, its not that often. He has some girlfriend or something now in Florida.”   
“I’m sorry to hear that, Hillary,” Bill sincerely said. “That must be difficult for both you and Jessica.”   
Hillary shrugged, “It is. Especially for her but its my fault. I love her _so_ much and can’t imagine not having her now but I was careless and irresponsible when I got pregnant with her. A baby so young wasn’t part of my plan.”   
“These things happen,” Bill assured her. “You still have a great career ahead of you.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “Yes, everything has worked out luckily. It’s difficult being a single mom but I’m managing. Moving back to the Chicago area and being near Melissa and my parents again has been a godsend.”   
“I bet,” Bill said. “I’m glad you have support from family and friends.”   
Hillary nodded. “It wasn’t always the case. My parents weren’t too pleased when I got pregnant at the beginning of my last semester of law school. Especially my father. He was quite disappointed with me. But then Jessica was born and everybody instantly fell in love with her. And they’ve been nothing but loving and supportive since.” Hillary smiled to herself. “Like I said, its difficult sometimes being a single parent but Jess and I manage somehow.”   
“Well I’d love to meet her some day.”   
Hillary nodded and smiled. “I’m sure you will. Someday. She’s great.”   
* * *   
Hillary and Bill had had a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable dinner. They had gotten to know each other much better over a delicious dinner.   
“I’m so stuffed,” Hillary moaned, laughing as Bill walked her back upstairs to her apartment at the end of the night.   
“Me, too,” Bill chuckled. “I hope Jessica enjoys the leftovers.” He gestured to the takeout container Hillary was holding.   
“I’m sure she will. Fettuccine Alfredo is her favorite,” Hillary smiled. “I really enjoyed tonight, Bill.” She said as they arrived at her door.   
“Me, too, Hillary,” Bill softly said, tucking a piece of stray hair behind Hillary’s ear as his eyes softened.   
“So...I, um, guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” Hillary nervously said, opening her purse to look for her keys.   
Bill put one hand on Hillary’s cheek and the other on her waist as he leaned in for a kiss. Hillary was taken by surprise when she realized what was going on but reciprocated. Their lips met and crushed together. Hillary moaned against the kiss in contentment as Bill pushed her up against the wall. He deepened the kiss much to Hillary’s pleasure. They kissed passionately for several moments before breaking apart for air.   
“Bill…” Hillary whispered, slightly shaken by what had just happened.   
“What is it?” Bill asked, concerned, worried he had done something wrong. “Is everything okay?”  
“Everything’s fine, that was great,” Hillary assured him. “And I’d love to go out with you again. But I need you to do one thing first.”  
“Anything.”  
“I need you to break up with Diedre before we go any further.” 

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

After saying an awkward goodbye to Bill after she asked him to break up with Diedre, Hillary turned the key in the door and quietly walked into her apartment. Melissa was reading a book on the living room couch.   
“Hey! How was the date?” Melissa eagerly asked, noticing Hillary walking in.   
“It was...nice,” Hillary admitted, putting her purse down on the table in the entryway. “We had a good time.” She joined Melissa on the couch. “We kissed actually.”  
Melissa gasped and grinned, “You did?”   
Hillary shyly smiled. “It was great. He was a really good kisser.” She giggled before letting out a huge sigh. “But he still has a girlfriend. I told him to break up with Diedre if he wanted to keep seeing me but I’m not getting my hopes up. We had a nice time but if we just end up being friends and coworkers, that’s okay too.”   
“Well, I’m glad you’re putting yourself out there again, Hill,” Melissa said before yawning.   
“It’s late. You can sleep here tonight if you want, Mel,” Hillary offered.   
“No, that’s okay,” Melissa replied before yawning again. She chuckled. “It’s a work night and I have a busy day tomorrow. I’ll just go home. But thanks.”   
Hillary nodded, “No problem. Thank you again for watching Jess. I had a nice night out.”  
Melissa smiled, “Well that makes me really happy. You deserve a night off from mom life every once in a while.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. That was something she was struggling with but knew deep down inside that she had to start putting it into practice and taking more time for herself when she could.   
Melissa started gathering her belongings.   
Hillary walked back over to her purse and grabbed some cash. “Take a cab home at least? I don’t like the idea of you taking the train this late at night.”   
“I’m perfectly fine taking the train but for you, I will call a cab,” Melissa said chuckling. “I don’t need your money though.”   
“But you’ve been watching Jessica all the time for me since we moved here,” Hillary supplied.   
Melissa waved her off, “It’s fine, Hill. You guys are like family to me. You know that it's no trouble for me to watch her anytime you need help with her. Okay?”  
Hillary sighed and nodded. “Fine. At least let me and Jess take you out for brunch or something this weekend?”   
“I’m down for brunch. You got yourself a deal.”   
Hillary smiled at her best friend. “Perfect. Have a good night, Mel.”   
* * *   
A few days had passed where as far as Hillary knew, Bill was still with Diedre judging from the way the two of them had been acting around the office. Bill had asked Hillary out a few more times and she kept turning him down, informing him that she wasn’t comfortable pursuing a relationship with him until he broke things off with Diedre. They had been trying to keep their relationship as professional as possible but it was proving to be difficult as their attraction for one another was boiling just below the surface. It was now Monday morning and Hillary was stressed out. Not about what was going on between her and Bill but stressed because Jessica hadn’t been feeling well that morning but Hillary had had to send her off to daycare anyways. She couldn’t find anybody to babysit at the last minute and Hillary couldn’t afford to already take a sick day being so new at the firm. She sighed as she opened a case file and tried her best to concentrate on her work.   
“I did it.”   
Hillary looked up. Bill walked into their office, looking slightly forlorn.   
“Did what?” Hillary asked in confusion, as she put her glasses on.   
“I broke up with Diedre. Over the weekend.”   
“Oh,” was all Hillary could say as she let the news sink in. She couldn’t believe that Bill had actually followed through with breaking up with his girlfriend. “Well, how did she take it?”   
“She’s not happy but that’s to be expected. But I just wasn’t happy with her anymore. But maybe stay away from the legal assistants today if you can,” Bill replied, half joking.   
“I’m sorry, Bill,” Hillary said, feeling genuinely sorry that she was somewhat the cause for the breakup.   
Bill laughed, “There’s no need to be sorry. This is for the best. I wasn’t happy anymore. I think brighter things are on the horizon for me.”   
He tried to gauge Hillary’s reaction to that but all she did was nod and turned her attention back to the case file she was reviewing.   
“Is something bothering you, Hill?” Bill asked, noticing that Hillary looked unusually tense.   
Hillary sighed and took a sip of her coffee. “Jessica was kind of sniffly this morning but I sent her to daycare anyways. I couldn’t find anybody to babysit at the last minute and I didn’t want to take a sick day. I hope she’ll be okay.”   
Bill frowned, “I’m sure she’ll be fine. But next time this happens, feel free to call in sick. We’ll all understand. It’s no big deal.”   
“You sure?” Hillary asked, uncertainly, biting her lip.   
“Of course. Things come up. It happens once in a while,” Bill assured her. “Okay?”  
Hillary slightly smiled and nodded, “Okay.”  
“Now I’m going to be out of the office and across town for most of the day for a deposition. Are you going to be okay?” Bill asked as he stuffed a few files into his briefcase.   
Hillary nodded, “Oh yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m still going over the discovery for the Hawkins Corporation case so that should take up most of the day.”   
Bill nodded, “Well just page me if you need anything.”   
Hillary nodded again, “Will do.”   
Bill smiled at Hillary before he left.   
* * *  
Hillary had been insanely busy with work for most of the day but she was grateful for that because it meant that she had been able to avoid Diedre and her friends. It wasn’t until her stomach started grumbling and growling that she realized she had worked through lunch. She quickly glanced at her watch and she was shocked that it was already three o’clock. Just as she had decided she was going to quickly run downstairs for a sandwich, her phone rang.   
“Hello, Hillary Rodham speaking.”   
“Hi, Hillary. This is Nina from the daycare centre.”  
“Oh, hi,” Hillary replied. “Is everything okay? Is Jessica alright?” She had briefed the daycare that Jessica wasn’t feeling well and to call her if there were any issues.  
Nina sighed, “She started running a fever.”  
Hillary sighed, “Oh, no. Okay...um, let me see if I can find someone to pick her up. If not, I’ll be there soon.”   
She exchanged goodbyes with Nina and hung up. She frantically called her mom but there was no answer and she knew that Melissa couldn’t leave work either.   
“Fuck!” She cursed out loud before grabbing her purse and packing up her belongings.   
“Everything okay?” Bill had returned to the firm from his deposition and was walking back into their office. He looked slightly startled at Hillary's outburst.   
“I’ll be back,” Hillary informed him. “I have to go pick up Jessica from daycare. She started running a fever apparently. But I’ll be back.” she repeated. She sighed. “I guess I’ll let her sleep on our couch. I _did not_ need this today. I’m so sorry, Bill.”   
“It’s fine, Hillary,” Bill assured her. “She’s welcome to sleep on our couch. It’s not a problem. I’ll get started on preparing for tomorrow’s pre-trial hearing for Ryan Brown’s case while you pick her up.”  
She nodded gratefully, “I’ll be back in half an hour or so.”  
Bill nodded, "Take your time."  
Hillary nodded again before she hurried out to her car and drove to the daycare centre.  
Jessica was asleep on the couch in the daycare director’s office when she got there. Jessica quietly whimpered as Hillary scooped her up.   
“Mommy?”  
“Yeah, it’s me, baby,” Hillary soothingly said, kissing Jessica’s head. “We’re going to mommy’s office for a bit.”  
“But I’m sleepy,” Jessica whined.   
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. You can sleep on mommy’s couch.” She gently stroked Jessica’s back.   
Jessica nodded, “My throat hurts, mama.”  
“We’ll get some medicine on the way back to mommy’s office,” Hillary said. “I have a lot of work to do, Kitty Cat.”  
Jessica nodded and yawned. She fell asleep again as Hillary carried her to the car. They stopped at the drugstore for children's tylenol and throat lozenges before driving to Hillary’s office. Jessica started coughing as Hillary unbuckled her from her car seat and picked her up.   
“Mama,” Jessica whimpered.   
Hillary frowned and kissed Jessica’s head. She squeezed her. “I’ve got you. You’ll feel better soon,” she soothed.   
She went upstairs to her office and gently laid Jessica down on the couch. Bill walked in just as Jessica was drifting off to sleep.   
“Hey,” Bill whispered, looking at Jessica. “She’s adorable.”   
Hillary smiled, “Thank you.”  
“We could work at your place if you want,” Bill offered. “The day’s almost over anyways. She could sleep in her own bed.”   
“There’s no room to work in my apartment,” Hillary sighed. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine for a few hours.”   
Bill nodded, “Well, okay then. Can I get her anything before we get back to work?”   
“No, she’s sound asleep. She’s fine. Let’s just get to work,” Hillary replied.   
Bill nodded and shrugged, “Okay.”   
Hillary started making some notes on the case they had to go to court for the next day.   
“I really liked our date the other night,” Bill suddenly said.   
Hillary shyly smiled, “So did I. Thank you again for taking me out.”   
“You don’t have to thank me,” Bill replied. “Would you like to go out again some time? Now that I’ve officially broken up with Diedre. Maybe tomorrow night if Jessica is feeling better?”   
“That would be nice,” Hillary relented. “I’ll have to see how Jessica is feeling and if Melissa or my mom can babysit though.”   
Bill nodded and grinned, “Alright. Well, just let me know tomorrow morning.”   
“Bill,” Hillary said. “You’re absolutely sure you want to date me? Even though I’m a mom?” She nervously bit her lip.  
Bill chuckled, “I love kids. You don’t even have to ask me that.”  
“Sorry, like I already said, its just been a problem with men in the past. I want to make sure that it doesn’t bother you.”   
“I think you’re fantastic,” Bill said, causing Hillary to blush slightly. “And I think you’re a great mother, too.”  
“It never feels that way,,” Hillary replied, sighing as she nervously wrung her hands together.   
“I’m sure being a single mom is stressful but you seem like you’re doing a great job,” Bill said. “And I don’t mind helping out with Jessica some time. If you ever needed a night to yourself or something.”  
“You’re very sweet, Bill. But that’s okay,” Hillary responded, chuckling. “We make a pretty good team. Like I said at dinner the other night, we’re never really apart.”   
Bill smiled, “That’s cute.”  
Hillary smiled, “Yeah.” She turned her attention back onto the files in front of her. “Now let’s get to work.”  
Bill nodded in agreement. 

They managed to get some work done before Jessica started stirring in her sleep. Hillary got up and felt her forehead. Hillary sighed to herself when she realized she still had a slight fever. Jessica woke up suddenly and started coughing.   
“How are you feeling, baby?” Hillary asked her as she gently scooped her up.   
“A little better,” Jessica softly answered.   
“Good,” Hillary nodded. “Will you be okay for a little bit longer, sweetheart? Mommy has a lot of work to do.”   
Jessica nodded, “Can I watch you work?”  
Hillary nodded and sat Jessica down on her lap as she sat back down at her desk.  
“Who’s that?” Jessica whispered, noticing Bill.  
“That’s my friend, Bill,” Hillary simply answered.   
“I thought I was your friend, mommy,” Jessica giggled.  
Hillary chuckled, “You are, my sweet girl. But Bill’s our friend, too.”  
“Hi, Jessica. It’s really nice to meet you,” Bill kindly smiled at her.  
Jessica smiled a little. “Hi, Bill. I’m Jessica.”   
“And how old are you, Jessica?” Bill asked her.  
Jessica held up four fingers.  
“Not quite, baby,” Hillary said. “In a month.”   
“Oh, right,” Jessica said. “I’m three.”   
Bill grinned, “Well, that’s very cool.”   
“I’m thirsty, mama,” Jessica suddenly said.   
“Come on, baby. I’ll get you some juice,” Hillary said, starting to get up from her desk.  
“I can get it for her,” Bill offered, already standing up from his desk.   
“I want orange juice, please,” Jessica said to him.  
“Want to come with me?” Bill asked her, looking toward Hillary for approval.   
Hillary nodded.   
Jessica shrugged, “Okay. Can I push the buttons?”   
Bill chuckled, “Sure.”   
Jessica grinned.   
“We’ll be back,” Bill smiled and took Jessica’s hand. He left with Jessica and started leading her over to the vending machines in the firm’s break room.  
“Do you want to put the money in?” Bill asked her.   
Jessica sweetly nodded, “Yes, please.”   
Bill nodded and helped her put the change into the machine. “Now push that button for orange juice.” He pointed to the correct one.   
“Cool!” Jessica squealed after she pressed it and a bottle of orange juice was dispensed. She giggled.   
Bill grinned at her. “Do you want to do it again for my drink?”   
Jessica nodded, “Can we get mommy something, too?”   
"Sure," Bill said as he gave her another couple of quarters.   
“I think she likes this,” Jessica said pointing to the button for Diet Coke.   
Bill nodded, “I think she does, too.”   
Jessica pushed the button for it and giggled.   
Out of the corner of his eye, Bill noticed Diedre walking into the break room. He sighed to himself.  
“Who is this?” Diedre asked him in a short tone of voice, gesturing to Jessica.  
“This is Hillary’s daughter, Jessica,” he answered.   
Jessica smiled at her, completely unaware of the tension between Bill and Diedre.   
“Well, what she’s doing here?” Diedre asked, glaring at Bill.   
“She got sent home from daycare. She’s not feeling well,” Bill explained, sighing.   
“I’m sick,” Jessica said, coughing.   
“You seem fine to me,” Diedre said, rolling her eyes.  
“I have a fever,” Jessica argued.   
“Well this isn’t a daycare, Bill. People have to work,” Diedre said shortly.   
“My mommy is working!” Jessica yelled defensively.   
Bill nodded, “It’s not disturbing anyone, Diedre. She’s just resting in our office. What was Hillary supposed to do, Diedre? She’s a single mom and couldn’t find a sitter today.”  
“That’s not my problem,” Diedre bitterly said.   
“Yeah, and its not your business either, Diedre,” Bill spat. He took Jessica’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go.”   
“Our kid would be cuter,” Diedre murmured to him.  
“Get back to work, Diedre,” Bill said shortly in response before he started walking away with Jessica.   
“I want my mommy!” Jessica whined.   
Bill sighed and scooped Jessica up along with their drinks. “We’ll see her in just a second, sweetie.” He quickly carried her back to his and Hillary’s office.  
“We had a small run-in with Diedre,” Bill explained, gently placing Jessica down on the couch. “She’s bitter from the breakup.”   
Hillary sighed, “I’m sorry.”  
“Is she the mean lady from your work you’re always talking about?” Jessica asked.   
Hillary chuckled nervously, “Yes, sweetie.”   
Bill smirked over at Hillary. “Busted.” He chuckled.   
“She told Auntie Melissa about her,” Jessica said.   
“Oh, really?” Bill teased, laughing.   
“Okay, Miss Jessica. I think it's time for another nap, sweetheart,” Hillary said, blushing.   
Jessica lay back down on the couch.   
“Oh, but things were just getting interesting,” Bill teased, smirking.   
“You hush. The fever has her hallucinating,” Hillary joked.   
“Yeah, I bet,” Bill chuckled.   
“Mommy likes you, Bill,” Jessica sleepily said, struggling to stay awake.   
Hillary blushed again and quickly turned towards Jessica, not able to meet Bill’s eye. “Baby, you need to rest. Close your eyes. We’ll go home soon. I promise. Just sleep for now.”  
Jessica sleepily nodded and closed her eyes. Hillary nervously turned back towards Bill.   
“I’m sorry, she’s too smart for her age,” Hillary apologized as Jessica drifted off to sleep.   
“She’s cute. I like her,” Bill said. “She reminds me of you.”   
“I think she likes you, too,” Hillary replied, softly smiling at Bill.   
They were interrupted by their boss, Matthew, knocking on their office door.   
“Come in,” Hillary called out.   
“Hey, Hillary,” Matthew said, opening the door. “Can I speak to you for a second?”   
Hillary nodded, “Sure.” She followed Matthew into the hallway.  
“Why is your daughter here?” Matthew asked, getting straight to the point.   
“She got sick at daycare,” Hillary explained, feeling her stomach churning suddenly. She did not like where this conversation was probably heading.   
“Well you can’t just bring your kid to work, Hillary.”  
“You know this isn’t like me, Matthew. It was an emergency. She’s not disturbing anyone. She’s just sleeping on my couch,” Hillary calmly countered. “Bill and I are working on tomorrow’s pre-trial hearing. I promise next time I'll find a sitter for her. It won’t happen again.”   
“Thank you,” Matthew responded, shortly. “We want to keep this a work environment.”  
Hillary quickly nodded and walked back into her office, feeling embarrassed and frazzled. “I think I’m just going to work from home the rest of the day,” She informed Bill.   
“What did Matthew want?” Bill asked, confused.  
“He’s mad that Jessica’s here,” Hillary answered as she started packing up her files and belongings. “It’s fine. You keep working here and I can work on my part of this from home tonight.”   
“I want to help you, Hillary. It’s my responsibility, too,” Bill pointed out. “Would it be okay if I came over to your place and we can keep working on this together?”   
“It’s fine, I’ve got it,” Hillary firmly replied.   
“Hillary, we’re a team,” Bill insisted.   
“I know,” Hillary sighed. “I just feel guilty. I’m the reason this is complicated now.”   
“It’s no problem,” Bill reassured her. “I’m happy to help you. No, I’m _going_ to help you.”  
Hillary relented, nodding slowly as she finished packing her briefcase. She scooped up a sleeping Jessica, careful not to wake her.   
Bill followed the two of them downstairs and out to the parking lot.   
“I’ll just follow you in my car,” he said.  
Hillary nodded, “See you in a few minutes.”   
She buckled Jessica into her car seat and kissed her head before she got in the car and began driving home.   
“I’m sorry I got you in trouble, mama,” Jessica sleepily apologized.   
“Oh, sweetie, it is not your fault at all,” Hillary assured her, not aware that Jessica wasn't fully asleep after all. “Are you feeling better?”  
Jessica nodded. “A little. But my throat still hurts.”   
“I’ll give you some medicine when we get home,” Hillary said, using the rearview mirror to check on Jessica while they were stopped at a red light.   
“Is Bill going to be there?” Jessica asked.   
Hillary nodded, “We still have some work to finish up. I’ll see if he wants to stay for dinner.”  
“So it’s like we’re a family,” Jessica happily said as she sweetly grinned.  
“Uhhh...no, sweetie. Bill is our friend,” Hillary said, caught completely off guard by Jessica’s comment. “You and I are a family.”   
Jessica frowned, “Oh.”  
“Is everything okay?” Hillary checked.   
“I know we’re a family, mommy, but sometimes my friend’s daddies pick them up from daycare. My daddy is mean. I want a new one. Bill is really nice.”   
“Well Bill can be your friend,” Hillary shortly said she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building and parked the car. “And your daddy loves you, sweetheart.”  
“He would visit more if he loved me,” Jessica sadly sighed. “And I saw him hit you last time.”   
“Hush,” Hillary shushed her while she unbuckled her from her car seat, while Bill’s car pulled into the parking lot. “He didn’t mean to do that. Don’t worry about it, okay, sweetheart?”   
Bill parked beside them and got out of his car.  
Jessica grinned at him, “Hi!”   
Bill smiled back at her, “Hey.”   
They all went up to Hillary’s apartment together.   
“Let me just go get her settled,” Hillary said to Bill. “We can work in the living room if you want to get set up.”   
Bill nodded.   
Hillary carried Jessica to Jessica’s bedroom. She got some medicine from the bathroom and brought it to Jessica. “Now can you take another nap while Bill and I work? We'll be in the living room if you need anything, sweet girl.”   
Jessica nodded, “Eskimo kiss please?”  
Hillary grinned and rubbed her nose against Jessica’s.   
Jessica sleepily grinned.   
“I love you _so_ much, Kitty Cat,” Hillary said. “Sleep tight, baby girl.”  
Jessica sleepily nodded. “Love you lots, mama.”   
Hillary quickly went to her own bedroom and took out her contacts and switched them for her glasses before joining Bill in the living room.  
“Hey, sorry about that. She’s settled in now,” Hillary said.   
Bill smiled, “It’s no problem. I’m glad she’s comfortable. You’re really good with her.”   
“Yeah, she’s my whole world,” Hillary quietly replied, smiling.   
“She’s lucky,” Bill said.   
Hillary blushed, “Stop.”   
“I’m not joking,” Bill grinned.   
“Stop!” Hillary bashfully said, waving her arm in protest.   
Bill chuckled.   
“Do you want a drink or anything before we get started? I have Diet Coke and a ton of juice boxes,” Hillary offered, laughing. "Or I can get you a beer if you want?"   
Bill chuckled, “A Diet Coke sounds good.”   
Hillary smiled and nodded, getting a Diet Coke for Bill and a glass of water for herself.   
Bill smiled to himself while he looked around the living room at the various pictures of Hillary and Jessica while they worked. 

* * * 

“Are you hungry?” Hillary asked after they had been working for a while. “I could make us some dinner?”   
“That sounds nice,” Bill answered, nodding. “I can help you.”  
Hillary smiled. “Yeah. Okay.”   
They went into the kitchen and Hillary opened her fridge to see what she had on hand.   
“I have chicken breasts?” She offered. “Jess will probably want macaroni and cheese.” she chuckled.   
Bill chuckled, “How about both? I like macaroni and cheese.”   
Hillary smirked, “Okay, sure. Why not?” She started grabbing pots and pans from the cupboards. “I think we’re fine for tomorrow’s hearing.”   
Bill nodded in agreement, “Everything seems to be in order.”   
“I always get nervous in court, though,” Hillary admitted.   
“Aww, why?” Bill asked. “I haven’t seen you in court before but I’m sure you’re amazing.”   
Hillary laughed, “No idea. I just hate having to appear in court.”  
“Well you’re amazing in meetings and presentations so I’m sure everything will go great tomorrow. I’ll be doing most of the talking anyways,” Bill replied.   
Hillary nodded and blushed.   
“If it helps, we can go over everything one more time after dinner,” Bill offered.   
“Yeah that sounds good,” Hillary said, nodding as she popped a couple of chicken breasts into the oven.   
Bill smiled at her as Jessica sleepily walked into the kitchen.   
“Hey sleepy head,” Hillary greeted her. “How are you feeling?”   
“My throat still hurts,” Jessica whined.   
Hillary frowned and scooped her up. She felt Jessica’s forehead. “You still have a fever.” Hillary sighed.   
Jessica suddenly burst into tears. “My throat really hurts, mama!”   
“Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Hillary soothed, rubbing her back gently. “It’s okay, Kitty Cat. How about some ice cream?”   
“Before dinner?” Jessica asked in confusion.  
“Yeah. When you’re sick you can break some rules, sweetie,” Hillary explained.   
“Okay,” Jessica said, nodding.   
“I can get it for her,” Bill offered, opening up Hillary’s freezer and looking for the ice cream.  
“Thanks,” Hillary said, gesturing to Bill which cupboard the bowls were in while she cuddled Jessica.  
Bill brought Jessica’s ice cream over to her a few moments later.   
“Thank you, Bill,” Hillary said gratefully.   
“Thanks, Bill,” Jessica mimicked, smiling sweetly at Bill.  
Bill grinned, “You two are twins.”  
Jessica giggled and kissed Hillary’s cheek.   
“Dinner’s almost ready. Are you hungry?” Hillary asked her. “I made macaroni and cheese for you.”   
Jessica nodded, “Can I sit next to Bill at dinner? He’s my friend.”   
Bill chuckled, “Yes you can sit beside me.”  
“Do you have a little girl like mommy does, too?” Jessica asked him as they sat down.   
“Nope, I don’t have any kids,” Bill answered.   
Jessica nodded, “I wish I had a little sister.”   
“Well maybe you’ll get one someday,” Bill responded, shrugging.   
“Mommy says no more babies for now,” Jessica frowned, sighing heavily.   
Bill laughed, “Well that’s okay, too.”  
“Do you like kitties?” Jessica asked him while Hillary served dinner.   
Bill nodded, “Yeah, kitties are cute.”  
Jessica nodded, “I like kitties. And puppies. Puppies are cute, too. But mommy says we can’t get a pet.”  
“They’re not allowed in this building, sweetie. I’m sorry,” Hillary apologized, sighing and Bill could tell it was probably a point of contention before. “But maybe we can move into a house soon. Then we can get a kitty or a puppy.”  
Jessica grinned.   
“I’ve been thinking about getting a dog,” Bill mused out loud.   
Jessica gasped, “Really!?”   
Bill nodded and shrugged, “Why not?”   
“Can I play with him some time when you get him?” Jessica sweetly asked.   
Bill chuckled, “Sure. Any time.”   
“Awesome!” Jessica squealed.   
Bill smiled at her.   
“Do you have a sister?” Jessica asked him.  
Bill shook his head. “I have a younger brother.”   
Jessica shook her head, “I don’t want a brother. I want a sister. Boys are yucky.”   
“Hey!” Bill teased her.   
“You’re not, Mister Bill. But others boys are,” Jessica said, shrugging.   
Hillary chuckled at her daughter. “Finish eating, Kitty Cat. It’s almost bedtime,” Hillary said, checking the time.   
Jessica nodded. “Do I have to go to daycare tomorrow?”  
“We’ll see how you’re feeling,” Hillary answered. “If you’re still feeling icky I’ll have to see if Grandma can watch you.”   
“I can help you work,” Jessica suggested.   
“No, I don’t think so, baby,” Hillary said softly. “It’s better if Grandma watches you. You’ll have fun with her. You always do.”   
“Oh, right, you got in trouble,” Jessica sighed. “Can I still come with you to work? I don’t want you to leave me.”   
Hillary sighed, feeling incredibly guilty. “No, baby. Mommy has to go to court in the morning.”   
“We can try talking to the judge and the prosecutors,” Bill suggested, shrugging. “We can try getting the hearing pushed back another few days, citing a family emergency on our end?”   
“I don’t know,” Hillary said, hesitantly.   
“It’s no big deal to postpone another few days,” Bill offered.   
“I’ll just call my mom first. Matthew is already disappointed with me and mad at me. We should just move forward with the case. I don’t want to make anymore waves,” Hillary sighed, feeling guilty.   
“Do you think Grandma will bake cookies with me?” Jessica asked her.   
Hillary grinned, “I think she’d love to bake cookies with you.”   
Jessica nodded, “I’ll go to Grandma’s then.”   
Hillary nodded, “Perfect. I’ll call her after dinner. Now are you finished eating?” She noticed Jessica’s plate was mostly empty and she had stopped eating. “Let’s get ready for bed. It’s bath time.”  
Jessica nodded, “Goodnight, Bill.”  
“Goodnight, Jessica,” he smiled at her.   
“You can go ahead and go if you want. I think we’ll be fine for tomorrow,” Hillary said to him.   
“Do you want help with cleaning up or doing dishes or anything?” Bill offered.   
Hillary smiled, “You’re very sweet but I think I’ll be okay.”   
Bill nodded, “Okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow I guess.” He got up from the kitchen table and started packing up his briefcase.   
“Baby, sit here and wait for mommy,” Hillary said to Jessica. “I’m going to walk Bill to his car.”   
Jessica nodded, then suddenly ran over and hugged Bill. “Bye, bye.”   
Bill grinned, crouching down to hug her in return, “Bye, Jessica. I’m sure I’ll see you again very soon.”  
Hillary softly smiled at the two of them. “Wait here, Kitty Cat. Mama will be right back.”  
Jessica nodded.   
Hillary took Bill downstairs and walked him over to his car.   
“Tonight was really nice,” Bill said, tucking some stray hair behind Hillary’s ear. “Thank you for dinner.”  
“Oh, it was no problem,” Hillary replied. “Thank you for being so sweet to my kitty cat.”   
“She’s great,” Bill smiled. “She reminds me of you.”   
Hillary smiled at him. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow, bright and early.”  
Bill nodded. He hugged Hillary goodbye and started softly kissing the corner of her mouth.   
Hillary pulled back suddenly. “Bye, Bill.” she said flatly.   
“Oh, bye,” Bill said awkwardly, not expecting that reaction. “See you tomorrow.”  
Hillary just nodded as Bill got in his car and drove away. Hillary went back inside and up to her apartment.  
Jessica was playing with her Barbies on the living room floor. “I like Bill.” she said.   
“I’m glad,” Hillary said, smiling at her. “It’s bedtime though, Kitty Cat. Let’s go take your bath.”   
“When I wake up tomorrow, will it be snowy?” Jessica asked Hillary.   
Hillary chuckled, “No, baby. Not for another few months. It’s July, baby.”   
Jessica frowned, “I like snow.”   
“I miss snow, too, kitty cat,” Hillary said, scooping Jessica up. “It’ll be winter again soon enough though.” She kissed Jessica’s head. “You have a fever again. How about we skip bath time tonight and go straight to bed? You can sleep in my bed with me tonight, Kitty Cat.”   
Jessica nodded, “Okay, mommy.”   
Hillary carried Jessica into her bedroom and ran into Jessica’s room to grab a pair of pajamas for her. She started helping her get changed.   
“Can Bill be my new daddy?” Jessica asked Hillary.   
Hillary chuckled, surprised. “You liked him that much, baby?”   
Jessica eagerly nodded and smiled.   
Hillary sighed, “I don’t know, Jessie. I have to see what happens. Just be happy that he’s our friend right now, okay?”   
“But why can’t he be my dad? I need one,” Jessica sweetly said.   
“Because I have to extra careful about picking one for you,” Hillary honestly answered, kissing Jessica’s head. “He has to be the best possible daddy and husband.”   
“Well, I like Bill,” Jessica simply stated.   
Hillary nodded, not wanting to get Jessica's hopes up. “Okay, sweetie. Time for bed. Go to sleep, muffin.”   
“Goodnight, mama,” Jessica said, as she reached out and took off Hillary’s glasses.   
Hillary laughed, “What are you doing, baby?”  
“I want glasses just like you, mama,” Jessica said.   
“You don’t need them, sweetheart,” Hillary chuckled. “Go to sleep, baby. Mommy’s going to stay up for a bit and do some work. I’ll join you in a little while.”   
Jessica nodded, “Night, mommy.” She hugged Hillary and Hillary tenderly kissed her head.   
She made sure Jessica was settled and drifting off to sleep before she left the bedroom, leaving the bedroom door open a crack, and went out into the living room. Yawning, she started going over everything one final time for her hearing the next morning.   
Her phone started ringing. “Hello?” she answered before the phone’s ringing could wake up Jessica.   
“Go to bed,” Bill’s voice came through the other end.   
Hillary smiled to herself, “How do you know that I’m not already in bed?”  
“I knew that you didn’t think we were ready for tomorrow,” Bill said.   
“No, we’re fine for tomorrow,” Hillary lied. “I’m lying in bed right now. I just put Jessica down and had to finish folding and putting away some laundry.”  
“Nah, I’m willing to bet that you’re sitting on your couch right now going over the materials for tomorrow’s hearing,” Bill replied, being able to tell from Hillary’s tone that she wasn’t being one hundred percent truthful.   
“How much do you want to bet?” Hillary asked, smirking to herself.   
“How about I bet a second date with you?” Bill tried.   
“Well that’s a bet I don’t want you to lose,” Hillary teased.   
“It’s a bet I don’t want to lose either,” Bill chuckled.   
“Jessica loves you by the way,” Hillary said.   
“That’s good, but what about you?” Bill asked. “You’ve seemed a little apprehensive to get involved with me. Even with Diedre out of the picture.”   
Hillary sighed, “Well, I _am_ apprehensive.”   
“And why’s that?” Bill asked with genuine concern in his voice.   
“I do like you, Bill. I just worry about bringing you into Jessica’s life so soon. If something happens and she’s attached to you that would be awful for her. I don’t want to hurt or confuse her,” Hillary explained.   
“I understand _completely_, Hillary,” Bill replied, remembering his own turbulent childhood. “And I think you’re an amazing mother. I really do want to at least give us a shot though. How about we keep it between me and you and whenever you’re ready, I can start to spend more time with Jessica?”   
“Okay,” Hillary replied softly. “I like the sound of that.”   
“So can I take you out tomorrow night?” Bill asked her.   
Hillary smiled to herself, “I still have to find a babysitter, but if I find someone, sure.”   
“Great!” Bill replied enthusiastically. “I’m really looking forward to it. I do like you, Hillary. I like you a lot actually. And I’m sorry I kissed you tonight.”  
“Don’t be sorry,” Hillary sighed. “I just got nervous so _I’m_ sorry. I thought Jessica might be watching out the window.”   
“It’s fine. I understand. I overstepped,” Bill admitted, feeling guilty.   
“No, it wasn’t that,” Hillary sighed again and quietly chuckled to herself. “This whole dating while being a single mom to a young child is hard.”   
“I understand,” Bill replied. “Hopefully it’ll get easier though. And we can go as slow as you want or need to go. I’m really enamored by you, Hillary.”  
Hillary giggled, “Seriously?”  
“Yes, seriously,” Bill replied earnestly. “You’re great.”  
Hillary blushed, “Well I think you’re pretty great, too. Now go to bed, Bill. It’s getting late.”  
“I will if you will,” Bill countered.   
Hillary chuckled, “I haven’t gone to bed at a proper hour since Jessica was born so...in almost four years.”   
“Well maybe tonight is a good night to start then?”   
Hillary smiled to herself and chuckled, “Goodnight, Bill.”   
“Goodnight, Hillary.” 

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, glad you're enjoying this story so far! It took me a bit longer to update than I meant it to and I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to update again so posting one now! Enjoy!

“I’m glad you’re dating again, Hill,” Melissa said as Hillary was getting ready for her second date with Bill. Things had gone so well between them the day before and their hearing had gone off without a hitch that they had decided to go on their second official date that night.   
Hillary rolled her eyes at her best friend as she applied a few coats of black mascara to her eyelashes, “I am not dating, Mel. This is only our second date.”   
Melissa laughed, “Yeah, that’s _dating_, Hillary.”   
Hillary chuckled and shrugged, “Not really.” She put the last minute touches on her makeup and did a final once over of herself in the bathroom mirror. “I’m going to go say goodnight to Jessica. Bath time is seven-thirty.”   
Melissa nodded, “I know.”  
Hillary nodded, knowing that her daughter was in good and capable hands, before she went to go find Jessica. Jessica was playing in the living room with her dolls.  
“Hey, sweetie,” Hillary said. “I’m leaving in a few minutes.”   
Jessica nodded, “Bye, bye, mommy.”   
Hillary smiled and crouched down to hug Jessica goodbye, placing a gentle kiss on Jessica’s head. “Be good for Auntie Melissa.”   
Jessica nodded, “I will, mommy. I love you.”   
“Love you too, baby,” Hillary said, gently stroking Jessica’s blonde hair. She squeezed her as she heard a knock on the door, figuring Melissa had buzzed Bill in. She got up and answered the door.   
“Hey!” Bill said, grinning.   
Hillary grinned back, “Hi!”   
Jessica ran over to the door, “Bill!”   
“Hey, Jessica!” Bill happily greeted her.   
Jessica hugged him and Bill squeezed her back. “Feeling better?” he asked her.   
Jessica nodded, “Yep. No more fever.”   
Bill nodded, “That’s good. I’m glad.”  
Jessica smiled and nodded, “Can I come with you and mommy?”  
“Not this time, sorry, Jessica, ” Bill apologized. “But I know you’ll have a ton of fun with your Auntie Melissa.”   
Jessica sighed and frowned, “Fine.”   
“Hey, don’t be sad,” Bill said. “We can hang out another time.”   
She nodded, “Okay, see you later.”  
“Bye, Princess,” Hillary kissed her head. “Bye, Mel!” she called.   
“Bye! Have fun!” Melissa called back.   
Hillary left with Bill and walked downstairs to his car.  
“So, Jessica’s all better?” Bill asked Hillary as he started driving to the restaurant.   
Hillary nodded, “She’s still a little sniffly and has a bit of a sore throat I think, but other than that, she’s much better. It must have just been a twenty-four hour thing.”   
“That’s great,” Bill happily said.   
Hillary nodded in agreement.   
“I hope you like the restaurant we’re going to,” Bill interjected.   
“I’m sure I will,” Hillary responded. “Have you been?”  
“I have,” Bill answered nodding. “I took my mom when she came to visit me a few weeks ago.”   
“Well, I’m sure it's a step up from kid food,” Hillary joked, chuckling. “Our menu is usually chicken fingers or spaghetti. You got a taste of it last night.”  
Bill chuckled, “It wasn’t bad at all. It was delicious.”  
“Liar!” Hillary teased.   
“Look, I was just happy to be eating dinner with you,” Bill replied.   
Hillary smiled softly, “That’s sweet of you to say. Jessica really likes you by the way.”  
“Well I’m flattered,” Bill said. “You do a really great job with her, Hillary.”  
“Thank you. I try my best,” Hillary said softly. “I didn’t plan on becoming a mom so soon.”   
“Really?” Bill asked, surprised to hear that.   
Hillary nodded, “I wanted to focus more on my career before starting a family. She was a complete surprise. My sort-of boyfriend at the time and I had way too much to drink one night at a New Year’s Eve party and we got carried away. We weren’t careful that night at all. And I honestly didn’t think I could handle a baby on my own while I was still so young when I found out I was pregnant. Yet, here I am. I’m somehow managing.”  
“Well, you’re doing a great job,” Bill said. “And Jessica adores you.”  
Hillary nodded, “Thank you.”  
“This is it,” Bill suddenly said, pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant he had chosen to take Hillary. 

He parked the car and then went around to Hillary’s side to open the car door for her.  
“Thanks,” Hillary said, slightly surprised.   
Bill smiled at her, “After you, Blondie.”  
Hillary’s cheeks pinkened slightly as she got out of the car. They walked inside the restaurant and were seated.   
“This place is nice,” Hillary complimented as she started reading the menu.   
“You like it?” Bill double checked.   
Hillary nodded.   
Bill smiled, “Good.”  
“Any recommendations?” She asked, gesturing to the menu.  
“The steak is really good,” Bill replied.   
“Ohhh, that sounds good,” Hillary said. “I might get that.”  
Bill nodded, “I think I will, too.”  
“Copycat,” Hillary teased, chuckling.   
Bill chuckled and reached for Hillary’s hand across the table. “White wine?” he asked Hillary as she took his hand.  
“White sounds good,” Hillary answered. “A Chardonnay preferably if that’s okay.”   
Bill nodded and ordered a bottle for them when the waiter came by.   
“Thank you,” Hillary said to him.   
“Don’t mention it,” Bill drawled. “You’re adorable.”  
Hillary blushed slightly, “Well you’re pretty handsome yourself.”  
“Why thank you,” Bill laughed.   
Hillary smiled at him and took a sip of wine after the waiter poured it. “So I heard that some of the associates at the office go out for drinks after work on Fridays.” she said.   
Bill nodded, “Yeah, we do. Would you like to come some time?”   
Hillary nodded, “Yeah, maybe some time. Next time Jessica goes to my parents house for the weekend. I can’t do this weekend though.”   
“Oh, why not?” Bill asked. “You have plans?”  
Hillary sighed, “Jessica’s dad is coming to town this weekend.”  
“Oh,” Bill replied, sightly taken aback. “When?”  
“His flight is supposed to get in Friday night. But who knows with him,” Hillary rolled her eyes. "Sometimes he doesn't show up at all when there's a scheduled visit."   
“Is Jessica going to spend the weekend with him?” Bill asked curiously.   
“Oh, hell no!” Hillary answered, surprising Bill. “He has visiting rights so I have to let him see her but I wouldn’t let her stay with him overnight in a million years. I just let him spend time with her at our place.”  
“So, you two don’t get along?” Bill asked curiously.   
“Nope, not at all,” Hillary honestly answered, taking a big gulp of her wine. “He’s not mature enough to be a dad. He just has supervised visits with her for now. We’ll see what happens in a few years I guess.”  
Bill nodded. “Well I’m sorry, Hillary. I’m sure it's a difficult situation.”  
Hillary shrugged, “It’s fine. Jessica and I are fine. We manage.”   
Bill nodded, “Well if you ever need help with anything, you can always come to me and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”  
Hillary nodded, “That’s really nice of you to offer, Bill, but I prefer to be independent.”  
Bill chuckled, “Yeah, I kind of figured that out.”   
Hillary chuckled, “It can be annoying to people, I guess. So I’m sorry in advance.”   
Bill laughed, “There’s no need to apologize, Hill. It isn’t annoying in the least. It’s actually really refreshing. I like it. Diedre was way too clingy.”  
“Yeah, I assumed that,” Hillary nervously said, glancing down at her hands.   
“She was absolutely ridiculous,” Bill said. “All she talked about was marriage. And I couldn’t marry her.”   
“You don’t want to get married?” Hillary asked him curiously.  
“Well, not to _her_,” Bill clarified. “I actually kind of have a dream of having a big house and twelve kids.”   
“_Twelve!?_” Hillary asked, in alarm.   
Bill laughed, “Okay, maybe not twelve. two or three at least though. Maybe four.”   
Hillary laughed and sighed in relief, “Well that’s very different than twelve, Bill.”   
They ordered their food and got back to their conversation. “I always wanted kids and a big family but I can’t really picture myself with any more kids right now.”   
“Really?” Bill asked, surprised. “You’re amazing with Jessica.”   
“I need to become a Partner at the firm, first,” Hillary explained. “Maybe in five years or so I can think about having a second child.”   
Bill nodded, “That sounds like a good plan.”   
Hillary nodded, “Jess and I are fine just us two, right now. We’re the perfect little team.”  
Bill grinned, “You two _are_ pretty adorable.”   
Hillary blushed and laughed, “_She’s _adorable. Meanwhile, I’m going insane.”   
Bill laughed, “I don’t think so, Hillary.”  
Hillary shrugged.   
“You seem like an amazing mother,” Bill complimented her.  
Hillary shrugged, “I could do better.”  
Bill gently stroked her hand with his thumb, “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. Jessica is smart, happy, and obsessed with you. You’re doing great.”   
Hillary softly smiled, “Thank you, Bill. It’s just been a rough couple of years.”   
“Well you seem like the kind of woman who can handle anything,” Bill genuinely complimented her.  
Hillary nodded, “Thank you. I try.”   
Bill laughed and squeezed Hillary’s hand, “We’re being too serious. You deserve to relax and have some fun on your night out.” He gently kicked her foot under the table.   
Hillary laughed, “You’re right.”  
“So, Blondie, you wanna be partner at the firm one day?” Bill asked, smirking.   
Hillary nodded, pouring herself more wine, “Yep, that’s the plan. I think I’m well on my way there.”  
“You are,” Bill agreed. “Matthew is _very_ impressed by you.”  
Hillary shrugged, “I think he probably thinks I’m a bitch. Everyone thinks I’m a bitch.”  
“No, they don’t,” Bill retorted, scoffing. “I don’t think you are anyways. I think you’re really sweet.”   
“I don’t think I’ve ever been called sweet before,” Hillary replied, chuckling, as their food arrived.   
“You are,” Bill assured her. “For some reason other people can’t or don’t want to see it, but you are. I watched you with Jessica and you’re so loving, warm, and caring towards her. It’s so different from lawyer Hillary.”   
“Well I had to be serious or else no one else was going to take me seriously,” Hillary explained.   
Bill nodded, “Yeah, I get it. You’re an incredible lawyer.”  
“I just love to work,” Hillary shrugged. “I love being able to make a difference in the world. It’s fun for me.”  
“Well maybe you need to get some hobbies,” Bill teased.   
“Heh, maybe,” Hillary chuckled and sipped her wine. “How about you? Are you hoping to become a partner one day, too? You can’t just be an associate forever.”   
“Eh, I figured I’d be an associate for another year or so but I’ve actually always wanted to get into politics. I’d love to go home to Arkansas and make a real difference. I’ve always wanted to run for Governor.”   
“Governor?” Hillary said, slightly shocked.   
Bill nodded, “That’s always been the plan. Or maybe I’ll run for Congress or Attorney General first. But definitely Governor of Arkansas one day. So I’ll have to start looking into my options and planning my campaign soon,” Bill explained. “I’ve always wanted to be President of the United States actually, if I’m being completely honest.”   
“President!?” Now Hillary was truly shocked and she was sure it was showing on her face from the way Bill was laughing.   
“Oh, it would be a long way down the line...if it ever happened that is,” Bill explained, chuckling, hoping he hadn’t scared her off. “I figured I better run for Congress first and get some political experience.”  
Hillary just nodded and nervously took a gulp of her wine. What had she gotten herself into by dating Bill?   
“Would you like to go for a walk after dinner?” Bill offered, hoping to change topics and calm Hillary down.   
“Sure, that would be really nice,” Hillary accepted, smiling at Bill.   
Bill smiled in approval and nodded. He reached across the table and squeezed Hillary’s hand.   
“So, tell me more about yourself,” Hillary said, grinning as she was able to relax again. “Tell me what Arkansas is like.”   
Bill nodded, “Oh, it's amazing. You would love it there, I’m sure. It’s the best state. And we grow the biggest watermelons in the world there, by the way.” He chuckled.   
Hillary laughed, “I’ll have to visit Arkansas some time then, I guess, and try a watermelon.”  
“It’s really a wonderful place ,” Bill said seriously. “I’d be happy to take you there and show you my favorite places some time.”   
“Um, I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves,” Hillary said softly, clearing her throat nervously.   
“Maybe,” Bill relented, sighing. “Sorry.”   
“No, it’s fine,” Hillary assured him, taking another gulp of her wine.   
“So you said you grew up in Chicago?” Bill asked, trying to move their conversation along.   
Hillary nodded, “I grew up in a suburb just outside of the city, Park Ridge. I miss New York sometimes but it does feel good to be home.”  
“And you moved in the summer, while the weather is still nice,” Bill pointed out.   
Hillary nodded and chuckled, “Yeah. Jessica misses snow though.”   
“Maybe you two can have a little skiing getaway or something in the winter, so that she can enjoy it,” Bill suggested.   
Hillary sighed, “I’d love that but I have to work. I save up all my sick days and vacation days for when she needs something.”  
“Well, what about a short weekend trip?” Bill suggested.   
“Yeah, maybe,” Hillary shrugged.   
“Well don’t stress about it now,” Bill suggested. “It’ll all work out. You still have time.” He chuckled.   
Hillary nodded, “Yeah, of course.”  
“Wanna taste mine?” Bill offered, holding out his fork.   
“Oh, sure,” Hillary agreed and she let Bill feed her a bite. “Oh, wow, that’s_ really_ good.”  
“Yeah, the food here is incredible,” Bill said.   
Hillary nodded in agreement.   
“More wine?” Bill offered.   
“Yes, please.” She let Bill refill her glass. “So, how did you end up becoming a lawyer?” she asked him.  
“Well, truth be told, I like arguing,” Bill joked. “I realized in high school that I was pretty good at debating and wanted a career where I could put my debate and rhetoric skills to the test. How about you?”   
Hillary smiled, “That’s nice. In my case, I always knew I wanted to dedicate my life to helping children and families. I really wanted a career where I could advocate on behalf of children.”   
“So what are you doing working in corporate law?” Bill asked, confused.   
Hillary chuckled, “Well, I have a daughter to support, I have to pay the bills and the rent somehow. But I would love to do more work helping children and families in the future. I try to pick up pro-bono projects on the side when I have the free time.”  
“Well, I’d be happy to help you with one in the future,” Bill offered.   
“Thank you, Bill,” Hillary answered sincerely. She laughed, “Oh my God, you must think I’m a total nerd.”  
“No, not at all! Never!” Bill retorted. He chuckled, “I’m pretty nerdy actually. I play the saxophone when I have free time.”   
“You’ll have to play it for me some time,” Hillary said, smiling. “I bet you’re really sexy when you play.” She smirked.  
Bill chuckled, “I don’t know about that.”   
“My first boyfriend ever was in marching band,” Hillary supplied, as she slowly sipped her wine.  
“Really?” Bill asked, surprised.   
Hillary nodded in response.  
“I would have thought you would have dated jocks, Blondie,” Bill teased.  
“Ugh, no way,” Hillary scoffed. “I hated jocks.”   
“Me, too,” Bill admitted.   
Hillary slyly smiled, “We would have gotten along probably if we had gone to high school together.”   
“Well, now we can make up for lost time,” Bill replied, raising his wine glass and clinking it against Hillary’s.   
“I like the sound of that.” Hillary did the same with her wine glass.  
“And lucky for you,” Bill smirked. “I’m much better looking now.”  
“I’m sure you were adorable,” Hillary chuckled. “But so am I!”  
“Really? I can’t picture you as anything _but_ gorgeous,” Bill said.   
Hillary blushed, “Yeah? Well you’re pretty handsome yourself.”  
They smiled at each other as they finished up their meals and Bill flagged the waiter for their bill.  
He squeezed Hillary’s hand and pulled out his credit card.   
“Thanks a lot for dinner, Bill,” Hillary said, sincerely.  
“Oh, it was no problem. I’m really happy to be out with you,” Bill grinned.   
He grabbed her hand after paying the cheque and led Hillary out of the restaurant.   
“Would you like to grab a cup of coffee or something?” He offered. “There’s a great cafe about a block away from here.”   
Hillary smiled and nodded, “Coffee sounds nice.”   
Bill grinned and nodded. He wrapped his arm around Hillary’s waist as they started walking to the cafe.   
Despite the July heat, Hillary shivered against Bill’s touch.  
“Are you cold?” Bill asked her.   
“A bit,” Hillary admitted. “I’m always cold.”   
He pulled Hillary closer.   
She smiled to herself. “So, do you have any siblings, Bill?” She asked him.   
Bill nodded, “I have a younger brother.”   
“Aww, that’s nice,” Hillary responded.   
“Yeah, I guess,” Bill said. “Sometimes I got lonely as a kid though. That’s why I want a big family someday. How about you?”   
Hillary nodded, “I have two brothers. We’re all very close.”   
“That must be nice,” Bill said.   
Hillary nodded again, “Mmm hmmm. It is.”   
They arrived at a cafe which had a cute outdoor patio out front.   
“What would you like to drink?” Hillary asked Bill. “It’s my treat.”   
“No, no, no,” Bill protested. “I’m supposed to be treating you tonight.”   
“Well, I’ll take a mocha latte in that case,” Hillary replied, smiling.   
Bill grinned and nodded, “Coming right up. Sit down. I’ll be right back.”   
Hillary nodded and sat down at a table for two while she waited for Bill to return with their drinks. 

“I got us a piece of chocolate cake to share, too,” He said when he came back to the table a few minutes later and put everything down on the table.   
“Aww, Bill. Thank you,” Hillary said, touched by his gesture.   
“You’re welcome,” Bill smiled.   
“You are such a sweetheart.”  
“I think you just have that effect on me, Hill,” Bill grinned, feeling like the luckiest man in the world at that exact moment.   
Hillary grinned and took a sip of her coffee. “I like this place. It’s really cute. And the cake is _delicious_. Even though I grew up around here, a lot has changed. I feel like I’m kind of new in town.”   
“I’ll take you to all the best places in the city,” Bill offered.   
“I’d really like that,” Hillary replied, nodding.   
“I’d love to take you out again,” Bill offered, reaching over to tuck a stray piece of hair behind Hillary’s ear.   
“I’d love that,” Hillary nodded.  
“Well, what day works for you?” Bill asked, squeezing her hand.   
“Jessica has ballet on Wednesday nights and usually my parents pick her up afterwards for a sleepover at their place. We could go out then,” Hillary suggested.   
“That sounds perfect,” Bill said.   
“Great,” Hillary smiled.   
“You look amazing tonight by the way,” Bill whispered, looking at her with soft eyes, admiring her perfect figure. “I love your dress.”  
She blushed then smiled, “Thank you. You look very handsome yourself.”   
“Thanks, Hilly,” Bill smiled.   
“You don’t have to thank me,” Hillary chuckled, silently noting the nickname. “Sometimes I hate how attractive you are. It’s distracting. It’s hard to concentrate at work sometimes.” She giggled.   
“Oh, yeah right,” Bill said, scoffing. “_I _have the same problem with you.”  
Hillary looked at Bill in surprise.   
“I’m dead serious,” Bill said. “I think about you all the time.” He suddenly hesitated. “I...I hope it isn’t too soon for me to say that.”  
She shook her head. “No...it isn’t too soon,” she said softly.   
“I _really_ want to get to know you better,” Bill said. “Would you like to come over to my place for a bit? We can watch a movie or something.”   
Hillary nodded, “Sure, that sounds nice.”   
“Or should you get back to Jessica?” Bill double checked.   
“She’s probably asleep. She won’t even notice that I’m gone. I’ll just call Melissa from your place and let her know.”  
Bill nodded, “Great!” He grabbed Hillary’s arm and walked her back to his car.   
* * *   
“This is nice,” Hillary complimented, as they got off the elevator and walked into Bill’s apartment. Which to her surprise, was the penthouse.   
“Thank you,” Bill said. “Feel free to make yourself at home. Can I get you a drink or anything?”   
“What do you have?” Hillary asked him.  
“I have wine, red or white. Or I can get you a beer?”   
“Yeah, a beer sounds good. Thanks, Bill,” Hillary said.   
Bill nodded and grabbed two beers from the kitchen fridge while Hillary quickly phoned Melissa to let her know what was going on and that she’d be coming home late. Bill led Hillary over to the living room couch when she was finished and the two of them sat down together.   
He wrapped his arm around Hillary while he turned on the TV and channel surfed for a minute or so until he found a movie for them to watch. Hillary smiled to herself as she scooted closer to Bill and leaned against him.   
“I really enjoyed tonight, Bill,” Hillary honestly said.   
“So did I,” Bill replied. “I’m glad you agreed to go out with me again. I had been looking forward to this date. I think you’re amazing.”  
“And I think the same of you,” Hillary admitted, smiling at Bill. She slowly leaned in and kissed Bill’s lips softly.   
He pulled away, stared at Hillary in awe for a moment before leaning in and kissing her again.   
She moaned softly. Bill gently cupped Hillary’s cheeks as he continued kissing her. She tightly wrapped her arms around Bill’s shoulders. She parted her lips as she felt Bill brush his tongue against them. She let Bill continue to passionately kiss her. She pulled away after a few moments and stared at Bill.   
He softly smiled and stroked Hillary’s cheek.  
“That was...great,” Hillary said.   
Bill smirked at her, “That was _incredible_.”  
Hillary grinned and pecked his lips again.   
“Your lips are so soft,” Bill complimented. “Or is that weird of me to say?”   
Hillary laughed, “I guess not. I try.”  
Bill chuckled and then playfully kissed her again.   
She suddenly pulled away. “What’s your favorite animal?” She asked, grinning.  
He looked at Hillary curiously. “I like dogs I guess.”   
“I’m just trying to get to know you,” Hillary assured him. “I like elephants.”   
“Ohhh, how exotic,” Bill grinned. “What’s your favorite city?”   
“Well, I love Chicago obviously. And New York,” Hillary answered. “But I really loved San Francisco when I visited a few years ago.”   
San Francisco’s great,” Bill agreed. “We could go together some time.”   
Hillary laughed and scoffed, “Yeah, I wish.”   
“I’m serious!” Bill insisted. “I have vacation days saved up that I have to use by the end of the year and you rarely take days off so you’ll have some vacation time saved up soon. We can afford to take off a few days. The firm will survive without us.”   
Hillary sighed.   
“I’m not saying right now,” Bill backtracked, realizing he was getting ahead of himself. “But down the road, it would be possible. It’s just an idea. Jessica could come, too. I’m sure she would love it.”  
Hillary nodded, relenting. “Okay, we’ll see.”   
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get ahead of myself,” Bill apologized, chuckling.   
“No, it’s okay,” Hillary reassured him. “You’re just being sweet. Thank you. It’s a good idea.”  
Bill just nodded, feeling nervous suddenly.   
Hillary yawned. She checked her watch. “I’m sorry, Bill. I have to go. It’s getting late. I have to get up with Jessica in a few hours.”   
“Of course, no problem,” Bill nodded in understanding. “I’ll drive you home. Thanks for tonight, Hillary.”   
She smiled, “You’re very welcome. I had a great time.”   
She grabbed her purse and went downstairs with Bill to his car.   
“You’re still up for next Wednesday, right?” Hillary asked as Bill began driving her home.   
Bill nodded, “For sure. If you are.”   
“Of course I am,” Hillary softly smiled.   
Bill smiled and nodded, “Good.”   
He arrived at Hillary’s apartment building a few minutes later and found a parking spot out front.   
“Let me walk you up to your apartment,” He offered. “This isn’t the greatest neighborhood.”   
“I’m fine, Bill,” Hillary suddenly stiffened. “Jessica and I manage.”   
“Keep your door locked, Hillary,” Bill said, not noticing that Hillary had become uncomfortable.   
“I do, Bill,” Hillary spat. “I’m going to protect my child, obviously.”  
“I know you will,” Bill sighed. “That’s not what I meant. I just worry about you sometimes, if I’m being honest.”   
“You don’t know me,” Hillary glared at him. “I can take care of myself.”   
Bill frowned, “Okay then. I’m sorry I said anything.”   
Hillary sighed, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at work then.”   
Bill sighed, “Hillary, I don’t want what was an amazing night to end this way. I’m really just looking out for you.”  
Hillary nodded and sighed again, “I know. I know. I’m too stubborn and independent for my own good.” She chuckled. “I’m sorry. Jessica and I are really okay, though.”  
Bill nodded, “I know. And I’m sorry too.” He reached over and rubbed Hillary’s thigh reassuringly. He leaned over and gently pecked her forehead.   
Hillary smiled, “Goodnight, Bill.”   
“Goodnight, gorgeous,” Bill grinned. He leaned over and gave her a goodnight kiss.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow at work,” She said breathlessly after they had broken apart.   
“See you then, Blondie,” Bill said.   
“Bye,” she said, grinning to herself as she got out of Bill’s car and went up to her apartment. 

Melissa was watching a movie in the living room while Hillary let herself in to her apartment.   
“Oh, hey,” Melissa chirped when she heard Hillary enter the room.   
“Hey,” Hillary said, still grinning from ear to ear.  
“I take it you had a good time,” Melissa smirked.   
“A _great_ time,” Hillary replied, smirking.   
“That’s good,” Melissa smiled and nodded as she muted the TV.   
“How was Jess?” Hillary asked.   
“Perfect. She’s an angel,” Melissa answered.   
Hillary smiled in relief, “Good.”   
“Can I stay here tonight? Do you mind?” Melissa asked. “It’s late and I’m too lazy to go home.”  
“Of course. It’s not a problem,” Hillary replied. “I’ll make us some tea.”  
“So, what did you and Bill get up to?” Melissa asked as Hillary put the kettle on.   
“We went to dinner and grabbed coffee after dinner. And then we hung out at his place for awhile,” Hillary answered. “He is so amazing.”  
Melissa smirked.   
“I _really_ like him actually,” Hillary realized. “He is so incredibly sweet. There was kind of an awkward moment when we were saying goodnight but I think he really cares about me.”   
“That’s great, Hill,” Melissa grinned.   
Hillary smiled and nodded as she sat down on the couch beside Melissa.  
“And Jessica already adores him,” Hillary realized. “And he loves kids. I think I like him a lot actually.” She giggled.   
“I can tell,” Melissa smiled at her best friend’s happiness.   
“He’s a great kisser, too,” Hillary smirked before bursting into another fit of laughter.   
Melissa giggled.   
“I’m serious!” Hillary mockingly admonished. She sighed happily.   
“Well don’t forget to use protection when you have sex,” Melissa teased.  
“Oh, hush!” Hillary said.   
Melissa chuckled.   
“Anyways,” Hillary said as her laughter calmed down. “I’m going to make a cup of tea and go to bed. It’s late. But I can take the couch tonight.”   
Melissa shrugged, “I don’t mind the couch.”   
Hillary shrugged, “It’s up to you. Or you could sleep with me in my bed.”   
Melissa nodded, “Yeah, that sounds good.”   
Hillary chuckled, “It’s settled then. But I think I’m going to take a quick shower actually.”   
Melissa nodded. “I’m glad you’re happy, Hill!” She called after Hillary as Hillary started walking towards the bathroom.   
Hillary smiled, “Thanks, Mellie.”  
It felt good to feel so happy and excited about someone new, Hillary realized as she got in the shower. She had a feeling good things were on the horizon for her... 

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Life has been crazy lately but I finally have some time and energy to post an update to this! I'll try to post the next update sooner, since this chapter is on the shorter side.

Because Melissa had spent the night, she had offered to take Jessica to daycare the next morning and Hillary didn’t object. She had enjoyed the extra few minutes of free time that she had had that morning and had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast alone while being able to savour her morning cup of coffee for once. She was ready to take on the day when she left for work. She opened her apartment door and was about to lock it behind her when she was taken aback. Bill was in her apartment hallway, perched on a stepladder, changing a lightbulb outside her doorway.   
“Bill?”   
“Oh...Hillary, hi. I wanted to surprise you.”  
Hillary squinted in confusion, “What are you doing, Bill?”   
“Well I noticed that this bulb has been out the last few times I’ve come over and I wanted to change it for you,” Bill explained. “I was going to surprise you. I was going to take you and Jessica out for breakfast or something, too.”  
“Yeah, I’ve been asking the super to change it ever since we moved in but he hasn’t gotten around to it yet. You didn’t have to do that, Bill.”   
Bill shrugged as he finished screwing in the lightbulb and put the light cover back on.   
“It was no trouble. Honestly, knowing that it’ll be less dark when you come home from work, especially when Jessica's with you, makes me feel better about your safety,” Bill explained. “I know you said last night that you can take care of yourself and I know that, but I still worry.” He got down from the stepladder. “I guess this is my way of apologizing for how we ended things last night. I know it was awkward.”   
Hillary gave Bill a small smile, “Well, I do appreciate that, Bill. You didn’t have to go out of your way to do that.”  
“Like I said, It was no trouble,” Bill shrugged, playing it cool. “Do you need a ride to work? We can stop for coffee or something on the way. Where’s Jessica?”   
“Melissa already got her off to daycare earlier this morning but yeah, let’s go get coffee before work. That sounds really nice.” She smiled at Bill.   
Bill smiled back while reaching for her hand and happily led her down the hallway to the elevator.   
* * * *  
“So, I really wanted to apologize again about last night. I didn’t mean to offend you,” Bill apologized as he started driving towards the direction of their office. “I do worry about you living in this neighborhood, but I know that you can take care of yourself.”   
Hillary nodded, “It’s okay, Bill. And thanks a ton for changing the lightbulb. I will admit I was slightly offended last night, especially after just coming from your amazing and beautiful penthouse. My apartment is all I can afford right now, with a second mouth to feed. But we’ll make do until I can save up enough money to buy us a house.” She shrugged nonchalantly.   
“I feel just horrible for making you feel the way. It wasn’t my intention at all, Hillary. I am concerned for your’s and Jessica’s safety but I also know that you are fully capable of taking care of yourself. And I wasn’t trying to imply that you’re a bad mother or anything, either. You’re an amazing mother. It doesn’t matter what kind of neighborhood you live in,” Bill replied.   
Hillary nodded, “Thanks, Bill. I appreciate the apology. Now let’s move on and just forget about it. You can repay me by buying me a chocolate glazed donut.” Hillary looked over to him and smirked. She squeezed his thigh reassuringly.   
Bill quickly glanced back at Hillary and smirked in return. “Deal.”   
* * *   
Later that day, in the early evening, the last person Melissa expected to see on her doorstep after answering the doorbell was Hillary Rodham.   
“Hillary? What are you doing here? Where’s Jessica?” she asked, as she stared at an obviously frazzled Hillary.   
“Tony and his girlfriend took her to the Navy Pier for a few hours. I _really_ need to talk to you...about Bill. Can I come in? I brought wine.” She held up the bottle to show Melissa.   
“Of course, come on in,” Melissa acquiesced, moving aside to let Hillary inside her house. “What’s wrong?”   
“Nothing...everything. Oh God,” Hillary shook her head as she put her briefcase down and walked into Melissa’s kitchen.   
Melissa grabbed two wine glasses from her kitchen cupboard and quickly poured two glasses of Chardonnay.   
“What’s this all about, Hillary?” Melissa asked in confusion. “Did something happen between you and Bill?”  
Hillary took a big gulp of wine and a deep breath. She hesitated before saying, “I know we’ve only been on a few dates so far but honestly...I think I’m in love with him already, Mel. And it's freaking me out how fast I’m falling. I don’t know what to do!”   
Melissa chucked. “Wait, Hill. Slow down, go back to the beginning. After your date last night you said you really liked him but where is all this coming from?”   
Hillary took another sip of her wine. “So, when he dropped me off last night after our date, he said he worried about me because of the neighborhood I live in. _And_ then this morning, after you and Jessica had left, I caught him changing the lightbulb in the hallway that’s been burnt out for weeks.”   
“Aww, that was so nice of him!” Melissa remarked. She laughed, “I’m not seeing what the issue is, Hill. He sounds like a great guy by all accounts.”   
Hillary shrugged, “No man has ever worried about me or expressed concern in that way before. I’m not used to it. I’ve never felt this way before.”   
“Oh God, Hillary. This is _amazing_ though. I’m so happy for you!” Melissa squealed.   
“I know we’ve only been on two dates but we see each other every day and he’s already spent some time with Jessica. She seems to adore him. I think he likes her, too. It’s crazy but I can already picture spending the rest of my life with him and raising Jessica with him,” Hillary rambled with a dreamy smile on her face that did not go unnoticed by Melissa.   
“I don’t know if I’m _in love_ with him yet but I know that I already love him. Does that make sense?” Hillary continued.   
Melissa nodded and sipped her wine, “I get it, Hill.”   
“I already care for him so deeply, and it’s freaking me out,” Hillary admitted. She nervously giggled. “I’ve never felt this way about a guy before.”   
“I’ve honestly never seen you this happy before, Hillary,” Melissa remarked. “You’re literally bursting over with happiness. It’s radiating off of you.”   
Hillary smiled and sipped her wine. “So, what do I do, Mel? I’m so conflicted. I obviously need to get to know him better and make sure that he’s a good guy before bringing him into mine and Jessica’s lives further but I _really_ like him. I want to keep dating and having fun but I also want to see if he would be a good father figure to Jess.”   
“I think you have to trust your gut and follow your heart, Hillary,” Melissa advised as she poured Hillary some more wine. “That’s all you can do, right? But I think you two do have a strong connection already and it's worth exploring if you’re already this head over heels for him.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement, “You’re right, Mel. You’re absolutely right.”  
* * *   
The next day Hillary felt a lot better, less freaked out, and had a much clearer head in regards to her relationship with Bill. She was going to take Melissa’s advice to keep exploring their connection while relying on her gut and following her heart as she had always done with every major decision she had made in her life up until that point in time. She was feeling much more optimistic about exploring her connection with Bill and was looking forward to where things might go in the future. In fact, she had already pushed up their next planned date to that coming Friday. Melissa was free to babysit so she had asked Bill if he wanted to go out that night and he had gladly accepted.   
She looked across their office to where Bill was sitting at his desk, deep in concentration as he worked. She smiled to herself as she got up from her desk to go get a cup of coffee and a mid-morning snack from the break room.   
“I’m getting a snack, Bill. Do you need anything?” Hillary offered.   
“I’m fine, Hill. But thanks,” Bill replied, smiling but not looking up from his work.   
Hillary nodded and took the short walk down the hall to the break room.   
She had sat down with her coffee and a bowl of yogurt and granola for a quick 5 minute break, when she heard a voice behind her.   
“Hillary?”  
She turned around and it was Elizabeth, one of the secretaries at the firm. She also knew from the office gossip that Elizabeth was one of Diedre’s best friends. She sighed to herself. Luckily, Diedre had taken the break up pretty well except for a few incidents, and Bill had already been planning on breaking up with her, but Hillary still felt slightly guilty that she was partly the cause of their breakup.   
“Yes?” she said to Elizabeth, knowing that this couldn’t be good whatever it was.   
“Do you have a few minutes? Can we talk?” Elizabeth asked.   
“What’s this about?” Hillary impatiently asked.   
“I need to talk to you about Bill,” Elizabeth said, taking a seat at the table across from Hillary.   
Hillary sighed. _Of course_ she thought with frustration.   
“This isn’t about Bill and Diedre. She’s actually glad to be broken up with him,” Elizabeth confided, noticing Hillary’s facial expression.   
“And why is that?” Hillary asked, confused.   
“I guess I should warn you…” Elizabeth hesitated. “Bill’s kind of a player. He cheated on Diedre _a lot_. She loved him so she was willing to look past it but now she’s glad he broke it off before she had too. She didn’t even ask me to talk to you about this, I’m just looking out for you. I know it's not my place at all and it’s your life, Hillary, so do whatever you want but I know you have a daughter so I thought you’d want to know…”   
“That’s enough, Elizabeth. Thank you,” Hillary cut her off, stunned by what she had just found out. Her stomach was churning and suddenly her yogurt didn’t seem that appealing anymore. She pushed it away from her.   
Just when she thought she had found the perfect guy, this bombshell was dropped on her.   
_Are they playing an elaborate and cruel prank to get me to break up with Bill because Diedre wants him back? _ Hillary thought in total confusion and fear. _Or is what they’re saying true and Bill is a cheater? _

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Hillary was extremely conflicted for the next couple of days leading up to what was supposed to be her and Bill’s next date. She had been behaving strangely stand-off ish all of a sudden and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by Bill. That’s why he was relieved when she still wanted to go forward with their planned date that Friday night. He was extremely excited about their date but also nervous and curious, wondering what could have possibly gotten into Hillary over the past few days.   
* * *   
Hillary wasn’t sure why she was still going forward with her date with Bill but she needed answers and she was looking forward to a night out with him. She was ready to relax and unwind some before Jessica’s dad came into town so she wouldn’t be too stressed out for his visit. She was in her bathroom putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard a knock at the door.   
“Coming!” She called as she walked into the living room, scooped up Jessica along the way and went to answer the door.   
“Hey, you two,” Bill greeted happily with a smile when Hillary opened the door with Jessica resting on her hip.   
“Hi!” Jessica squealed.   
Bill smiled at her and handed each of them a flower, a rose for Hillary and a pink Gerbera daisy for Jessica.   
Hillary weakly smiled, “Aww, thank you, Bill. That was so sweet of you.”   
“You’re welcome,” Bill said before looking at Hillary strangely. She still wasn’t acting herself but she seemed even more “off” than she had been the past few days. “Are you okay, Hillary?”  
Hillary nodded, brushing off Bill's concerns, “I’m fine." She gave Bill a strained smile. "We should get going.”  
Bill nodded, not wanting to push her, “Okay.”   
“I love you, Jess. Be good for Melissa, okay?” Hillary said, kissing Jessica’s head.   
Jessica nodded, “I love you, mama.”   
“I’ll be back later, Melissa,” Hillary said, putting Jessica down.   
Melissa nodded, “Have fun you guys.”   
Hillary nodded as she grabbed Bill’s hand and they went down to Bill’s car together.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said as Bill opened the passenger door for her.  
“Now that Jessica’s not here, please tell me what’s wrong,” Bill said as he got in the car.  
“Nothing,” Hillary said quietly, not being able to look Bill in the eye.   
He reached for Hillary’s hand and rubbed soothing circles with his thumb, “Okay, I won’t push you this time. You’re lucky.”   
Hillary sighed and looked over at Bill as he started driving, “It’s nothing really. Jessica’s dad didn’t send the child support check this month so I called him this evening and it just wasn't a very nice conversation.” She frowned.   
“What happened?” Bill pushed.   
Hillary shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's not your problem, Bill."   
Bill reassuringly squeezed her hand, “Well whatever’s going on, hopefully I can help take your mind off of it for a little while.”   
“That actually sounds amazing,” Hilary finally relaxed slightly and smiled.   
Bill smiled over at her in return while they were stopped at a red light.   
“We can have alcohol, right?” Hillary asked, chuckling.  
“Am I that hard to deal with, dear?” Bill teased, laughing.  
Hillary laughed and rolled her eyes, “I just need to forget about Nick, Jessica’s dad.”   
“We can have drinks for sure but don’t worry, babe. I plan to take him completely off your mind,” Bill said huskily, winking.  
Hillary smirked. “I definitely need that.”  
Bill glanced over at her and placed his hand on her thigh. “You look gorgeous tonight, by the way.”   
Hillary smiled shyly, “You look great, too. I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier. I like a guy who knows how to dress.”  
Bill chuckled, “Well, I try.”   
“So, where are we going?” Hillary asked.   
“I thought we could have dinner at this great restaurant on Lake Michigan, and then we can take it from there and see how the night goes. We can just see what we're in the mood to do after dinner,” Bill replied. “Sound good?”  
Despite her better judgement, Hillary smiled, understanding what Bill was hinting at. “Sounds perfect.”  
“Good,” Bill nodded and smiled. “How’s Jessica by the way?”   
“She’s pretty good,” Hillary answered, nodding. She sighed, “She was kind of down tonight but that was my fault. She always gets upset when she can tell I’m stressed.” She shook her head angrily, more mad at herself than anyone. “Nick knows how to push my buttons and likes to bully me, and I just let him.” She threw her head back against the car seat in frustration.   
“That doesn’t sound like you,” Bill said, confused, trying to reconcile what he had just heard from Hillary with the woman he had gotten to know over the past few weeks.   
Hillary started tearing up, “I know," she whispered shakily.   
Bill reached over and rubbed her thigh, “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry, Hill.”  
“He blames me for why he left and why he isn't in Jessica's life,” Hillary shakily said. “And to tell you the truth, I was thankful when he left me even though I was seven months pregnant. But it was his decision to make in the end. I didn't force him to get a job in Florida. That was his choice.” She sighed. “But now Jessica doesn’t have a father and I’m never home with her. I just wanted better for my kid, you know?” She sobbed out.   
“Hillary, listen to me. You’re the best mother I know. Jessica’s a great kid from what I can tell. She’s always happy. She’s so smart and she is _hilarious_ and that’s all because of you. Don’t worry about Jessica. You’re doing a great job with her,” Bill affirmed firmly.   
“Thanks, Bill,” Hillary said softly, wiping at her tears.   
“No need to thank me,” Bill replied. “I’m just calling it like I see it. You’re doing a great job.”   
Hillary smiled weakly as they pulled up to the restaurant. Hillary quickly pulled her compact mirror out of her purse to make sure her eye makeup wasn’t too smudged.   
“I’m sorry I was upset,” Hillary apologized, as she wiped her tears and fixed up her makeup. “I hope I haven’t ruined our evening.”  
“Nope, nothing is ruined,” Bill assured her, smiling reassuringly.   
Hillary smiled softly and nodded, “Good.”

They walked towards the restaurant and were seated in the outdoor patio area.   
“This is so nice,” Hillary remarked. “This view is beautiful.”  
“Yes, it’s extraordinary, isn’t it?” Bill replied, secretly referring to Hillary herself. “I’m so happy to be out with you tonight, Hillary. I’ve missed you.”  
Hillary laughed, confused. “You see me everyday, Bill. We even share an office.”   
“I know but we’re at work. It’s not the same,” Bill explained. “And it's rarely just you and me alone even with sharing an office. We're always in meetings with other people or in court.”  
“There was that one time we made out in a storage closet the other day,” Hillary pointed out. “We’re resourceful.” She smirked.   
Bill grinned, “I did enjoy that _a lot_. But it was one fleeting moment. I don’t see you enough at work. We’re always busy and buried in our work. I just have to imagine.”  
Hillary blushed and chuckled, “Imagine?”   
“Yep, you’re on my mind _a lot_,” Bill admitted.   
Hillary bit her lip and slyly smiled, “Well you’re on mine, too.”   
“At least you can control yourself at the office,” Bill said.   
“What, you can’t?” Hillary smirked.  
Bill winked at her.  
She giggled. “You’re something else, Bill Clinton.”  
“I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” Bill chuckled.   
“No, it’s good,” Hillary assured him. “I need somebody like you.”  
Bill smiled, “And why’s that?”  
Hillary shrugged, “I’ve tried dating the last few years but I’ve mostly kept to myself since Jessica was born.”  
“Well I’m glad you’re making an exception for me then."   
Hillary smiled, “Like I said, I did try dating a bit but it just hasn’t been as great as this has been.”  
Bill grinned, “I’ve never experienced something this great before either. You’re the kind of girl you bring home to mama.”  
Hillary laughed and shook her head, “I don’t think many mothers would like me. Especially not yours.”   
“And why not?” Bill asked confused.   
“The same reason most guys won’t date me. Baggage. What mom wants her son to be with a single mother? Especially yours, I’m guessing,” she replied, shrugging.   
Bill shrugged, “She would get over it. She loves kids. Everyone has baggage. You don’t know the half of mine. You can talk to me about yours whenever you’re ready but nothing you say is going to scare me off.”   
“I doubt that,” Hillary said quietly.  
“I don’t,” Bill confidently replied. “Listen, I know this is a brand new relationship but I want you to know that I _really_ like you and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I love you for you. And that means loving what makes you, _you_.”  
Hillary’s breath hitched in her throat and she paled, considering what she had found out about Bill a few days prior but hadn’t had the chance to bring up yet.  
“Wait, was it too soon for me to say that?” Bill nervously asked, immediately regretting saying what he said.   
Hillary bit her lip.  
“I’m so sorry,” Bill apologized nervously. “I knew it was too early to admit that. I didn’t mean to freak you out. God, I’m so sorry. If it helps, I meant love in a platonic way. Like an ‘I miss you when you’re gone’ kind of love. But at the same time, I have this urge to make passionate love to you.” He hesitated. “ Now I’ve made things worse. I’m sorry, Hillary.”   
Hillary reached across the table and put her index finger against his lips, “Shh. It’s just you don’t know me. And once you do, you won’t love me, I promise.”   
“Well why don’t you let me get to know you and I can decide that for myself,” Bill replied softly, looking at her deeply.   
“Because I don’t let people get close to me. And that’s what scares me. I _want_ to let you in,” Hillary explained, letting out a shaky breath.  
“Then let me in,” Bill pleaded softly.   
“I can’t. You’ll hurt me...I’ve heard the rumors about you around the office.”  
“Hillary, I’m not going to hurt you,” Bill firmly said. “Please just give me a chance to prove that. Whatever rumors you’ve heard about me is just silly office gossip. It’s just Diedre and her friends stirring things up to cause trouble because Diedre is bitter from the breakup. I swear. I never cheated on her with anybody. She's just jealous of you and wants us to breakup.”   
Hillary just nodded and nervously swallowed. She took a sip of her water, trying to get her thoughts together.   
“So will you give me a chance, Hillary?” Bill asked quietly in a hopeful tone.   
Hillary nodded, “I’ll try.” That was all she could do for now, she realized. She had to trust Bill and take him at his word since she had no proof that he had cheated on Diedre or anybody else in the past.   
Bill smiled softly, “Thank you. Thank you so much. I really want to keep seeing you, Hillary.”   
Hillary nodded again as their food came.   
“This looks delicious,” Hillary remarked.   
Bill nodded, “Yes, it does. But I didn’t even ask. I know we have water but did you want a cocktail or a glass of wine or anything?”   
“Sure, a cocktail sounds great,” Hillary replied, finally beginning to relax a bit.   
Bill nodded, “What would you like?”   
“I think I feel like a vodka martini,” she replied, smiling. "With olives."   
Bill nodded and smiled, ordering two of them. He reached for Hillary’s hand across the table and Hillary gladly took it.   
“I’m really happy to be here with you,” Hillary commented.   
“Me, too, Blondie,” Bill smiled.   
Hillary bit her lip and grinned as their drinks came.   
Hillary took a sip of hers, “That's perfect. Just what I needed.”   
“I’m glad you like it,” Bill said.   
Hillary smiled, “It’s great. Tonight is great. You’re great.”   
Bill grinned, “Thanks. You’re pretty great yourself.”   
Hillary took a bite of her food. “Oh my God, that’s amazing!”  
Bill smiled, “Good, I was hoping you’d like it.”   
“It’s delicious,” Hillary said.   
“Well, I’m glad you like it.”  
“How’s yours?” Hillary asked.  
“Great. I always get the steak every time I come here,” Bill answered. "I guess I'm a creature of habit." He chuckled.   
Hillary nodded. “Well the salmon is excellent. This is a nice break from kid food.” She chuckled.   
Bill chuckled, “Well, good. I like eating like a kid sometimes though. It’s easy to cook at least.”   
“Well this is one of the best meals I’ve ever had,” Hillary commented.   
“I’ll have to remember that you like this restaurant,” Bill remarked.   
Hillary smiled, “We can come back for my birthday dinner.”  
“Sure, I’ll bring you back for your birthday,” Bill nodded and smiled.   
Hillary grinned, “October 26th. I’m turning the big 3-0 this year.”   
“I’ll remember that,” Bill promised.   
“When’s yours?” Hillary asked him before taking a sip of her martini.  
August 19th,” Bill replied.   
“Aww, Jessica’s is August 25th,” Hillary realized. “Your birthday's aren't too far apart.”   
Bill smiled, “We can celebrate our birthdays together then. They’re coming up soon.”  
Hillary smiled in return, “Sounds like a plan.”   
* * *   
“Did you want dessert?” Bill asked as they finished up their meals.  
“Yeah, why not?” Hillary nodded. “Want to share something?”  
“Sure,” Bill nodded eagerly. “They have amazing chocolate cheesecake here.”  
“Yum, let’s get that,” Hillary said. “I love chocolate.”  
Bill nodded and ordered for them, along with another round of drinks.   
“I’m paying this time,” Hillary said.  
“Um, no you’re not,” Bill protested.   
“Shut up!” Hillary admonished. “This is our third date and I haven’t paid for a single one.”  
“Nope, it's my treat,” Bill insisted.   
“Bill!”   
“Maybe next time but this is my treat. Let me pay,” Bill argued.   
“Fine but this is the last time,” Hillary relented. “I’ll plan our next date if that’s what it takes.”   
Bill nodded and chuckled, “Deal.”  
Their dessert came and they both took a bite.   
“Mmmm, that’s really good,” Hillary commented.   
“Told you so!” Bill grinned.   
Hillary grinned, “I really like this restaurant. Thank you for taking me.”   
“No problem. I'm really glad you liked it. I knew you would,” Bill replied. He paused for a beat. “Hey, Hillary?”  
“Yes?”   
“It's still kind of early. Would you like to go back to my place for a bit?” Bill offered, giving Hillary a hopeful look.   
“Oh, um, yes. Sure,” Hillary awkwardly accepted, thinking she knew what Bill was getting at. She could already feel butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous and excited for what was to come.   
Bill smiled as he waived the server over to ask for the bill, "Perfect. Let me just pay and we can get out of here." 

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone! Hope you're enjoying! I think the next chapter is probably what some of you have been waiting for haha so stay tuned ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I know its been ages since I updated! I definitely intended to update sooner but life got a little crazy around the holidays. Things are hopefully getting back to normal now. I saw that this story had some new kudos and comments lately so I'm glad people are still interested and still reading! The renewed interest in this story definitely motivated me to come back. I definitely miss writing and posting so here's hoping I can get back into the writing groove in 2020. Hope everyone had a great holiday season and that you're all doing well! Enjoy the update! I think it is the one you've been waiting for hehe.

“So, here we are again,” Bill said as he led Hillary into his penthouse. “Sit down and I’ll get you a drink,” Bill offered.   
Hillary nodded and sat down on the living room couch while Bill went into the kitchen and got them each a glass of wine.   
“Your place is really nice, Bill,” Hillary complimented while Bill handed her wine to her.   
“Thanks,” Bill said. “I didn’t give you the tour last time, would you like one?”  
“Oh, sure,” Hillary accepted. She got up from the couch and took Bill’s hand that he had extended out to her.   
“This building has a swimming pool. Maybe sometime we can bring Jessica and she can go swimming,” Bill offered.   
“Oh yeah, maybe,” Hillary replied. “She would love that.”   
Bill smiled, “Yeah? Okay, well, maybe someday then.”   
Hillary smiled and nodded as she sipped her wine. "Someday." She let Bill lead her upstairs and down the hallway.   
“So...this is the bedroom,” Bill said, pulling her into his bedroom.   
“I see…” Hillary huskily said, feeling a familiar feeling of desire stirring up inside of her.   
Bill placed a soft kiss on her shoulder which elicited a moan out of Hillary. Bill smiled and continued kissing Hillary, moving his lips to her neck. Hillary gasped a little and bit her lip, trying to suppress another moan. Bill put his wine glass down on his nightstand and wrapped his arms tightly around Hillary’s waist.   
“Am I going too far?” Bill whispered, double checking.  
“No, not all,” Hillary assured him.   
He turned Hillary around to face him. Hillary stared up at him softly. She could feel herself already getting wet inside her underwear. She leaned in and kissed Bill softly on the lips. Bill passionately kissed her back as he rested his big hands on her perfectly curved hips.   
Hillary frowned quizzically when Bill pulled away. She put her wine glass down.   
“What are you doing, Bill?”   
“Hold on a second,” Bill said, walking over to the stereo in his room and turning on the radio. “Come here, I want to dance with you.”  
He walked back over to Hillary and wrapped his arms around her waist. Hillary smiled and wrapped her arms around Bill’s neck as they swayed to the music together. She rested her head against Bill’s chest while Bill ran his fingers through her silky blonde hair.   
“I love being with you, Hillary,” He said softly.  
Hillary smiled to herself, “Likewise. You’re a sweetheart, Bill.”  
“Well it’s not hard to be sweet when you’re around,” Bill drawled softly, gently smiling.   
He kissed the top of her head and gently ran his hands down her back. He spun her around which elicited a giggle from Hillary.   
“I love seeing you happy like this,” Bill said.  
Hillary smiled and pecked Bill’s lips in response.   
“Your blue eyes are so pretty and deep. Like the sea,” Bill complimented.   
Hillary blushed.   
“I mean it, Hillary,” Bill affirmed. “You are _incredibly_ gorgeous. You have the cutest little chin.”   
Hillary chuckled, “Now you’re just being crazy.”   
“Nope, Scout’s honour. You’re incredible, Hillary.”  
Hillary giggled, feeling slightly buzzed from the cocktails at dinner and the wine, “You’re cute.”   
She gently stroked Bill’s cheek and leaned in to kiss his lips again. Bill deepened the kiss as Hillary wrapped her arms around his neck. Hillary smiled against his lips. She pressed her body tightly up against his, trying to let him know that she wanted him. Bill ran his hands down to her ass and squeezed it before pulling Hillary over to the bed. He quickly pulled her down onto the mattress. Hillary smiled at him as she straddled him and started passionately kissing him again. Bill moaned softly and rolled over so that Hillary was on her back. Bill hovered above her and started passionately kissing her neck.   
Hillary reached up and wrapped her arms around him. “You mentioned something earlier about wanting to make passionate love to me?” she whispered.   
Bill stared deeply into her eyes, “Yes. So much.”   
Hillary smirked, “Then get to it.”   
Bill cupped her face, “Are you absolutely sure, Hillary?”   
“I am _so_ sure,” she whispered.   
Bill passionately kissed her and reached behind her to unzip her dress.   
“Bill,” Hillary moaned as he kissed down her neck. She slipped her hand under his shirt and ran her hands over his abs.   
Bill leaned back and took his shirt off before he resumed passionately kissing Hillary. He kissed down her neck and slipped the strap of her black cocktail dress off her shoulder.   
Hillary helped him along by hastily pulling her dress down. Bill unhooked her bra and quickly pulled it off. He leaned down and started to place soft kisses on her breasts. Hillary ran her hands through Bill’s thick brown hair. Bill squeezed her breast and then started sucking on one of her nipples which caused Hillary to gasp sharply.   
“Bill,” She loudly moaned.   
“Too much?”   
“No, not at all. Don’t stop,” Hillary breathed out. She bit her lip and arched her back, pushing her hips up towards Bill. He reached in between her thighs and started stroking her inner thigh. Hillary half sat up and reached for Bill’s belt buckle. She unbuckled it and quickly pulled his pants down.   
“Lay back,” Hillary huskily whispered as she helped Bill pull his boxers off. Bill obeyed and let Hillary climb on top of him. She kissed down Bill’s chest, then his abs before she began stroking his cock.   
Bill closed his eyes, “God.”   
“You’re so big, Bill,” she said huskily before she started sucking.   
“Oh, God! Oh, fuck, yes!” Bill cried out. “Hilly,” he growled huskily as Hillary sucked harder.   
Hillary shot up, “Did you just call me Hilly?”  
Bill looked at Hillary in confusion, “Yes. Is that a problem?”  
“No, no,” Hillary replied. “It’s just that people close to me call me that. But I guess since you’re naked in front of me, we’re pretty close now.”   
Bill reached out and stroked Hillary’s cheek. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. It ...it just came out.”   
“No, it’s fine,” Hillary assured him, smiling. “I like it.”  
She leaned in and kissed him. “Anyways, back to business.”   
Bill pulled her up against him and kissed her deeply. He gently pushed her down back on the bed, so that she was on her back as she looked up at him. Bill smiled down at her before kissing her sensually.   
“Do you have a condom?” Hillary whispered as Bill started pulling down her underwear.   
Bill nodded and leaned over, reaching into the top drawer of his nightstand to grab it.   
“I really care about you, Hillary,” he said as he put it on.   
“I really care about you, too,” Hillary replied, as she stared up at Bill, smiling softly. She leaned over and kissed his lips again. Bill ran his hands over her body and up and down her left inner thigh as Hillary gasped in pleasure.  
“Are you ready?” Bill asked.  
Hillary nodded quickly before Bill pushed into her. She squeezed her eyes shut and gasped. “I need a minute.”   
He kissed her head, “Just tell me when.”  
“Now,” she said after a few seconds.   
Bill started thrusting. Hillary grabbed his shoulders as she gasped in pleasure. Bill moaned as he kissed her neck.   
“Bill,” Hillary moaned as Bill grabbed her hips.   
Hillary threw her head back in approval. “Oh, yes,” she moaned.  
Bill groaned and moaned, equally enjoying himself.  
“Faster,” Hillary breathed out.   
“You like this?” Bill asked as he obeyed.   
Hillary nodded and moaned in response. She arched her back, pressing her body against his. Bill cupped her right breast. Hillary kissed his neck before pushing him down on the bed.   
“I want to ride you,” Hillary huskily whispered.   
“I want that, too,” Bill whispered back.   
She leaned down and kissed him. She lowered herself onto him, moaning softly as she did so, and throwing her head back. “You feel so good,” she breathed as Bill squeezed her breast.   
He pulled her against him as she frantically kissed his neck.   
“Hillary,” Bill moaned.   
“I love this,” Hillary whispered, staring into Bill’s eyes.   
“So do I, baby,” Bill whispered back. “Keep going, baby. I want to watch you come.”  
“I want you to come with me,” Hillary moaned.  
Bill grunted and moaned as Hillary reached down and cupped his balls. He thrust deeper into Hillary.   
“I’m so close, Bill,” Hillary moaned.   
“Me, too,” Bill grunted.   
He wrapped his arms tightly around Hillary so that their bodies were fused together. He started thrusting faster until they both climaxed.   
“Oh God, Oh, God, Oh God,” Hillary breathed out as she felt her climax.   
She went limp and collapsed breathlessly on top of Tom. She kissed Bill’s chest as he gently stroked her back while they both came down from the high of that moment.   
“Jesus,” Bill breathed out. “That was incredible. You’re incredible. How was that for you?”  
“The best sex I’ve ever had,” Hillary breathed out.   
Bill held back his smile, “Are you being serious?”  
Hillary blushed. “Yes. Dead serious.”  
Bill grinned before he leaned over and kissed her. He reached down and pulled the comforter up and over them. He kissed Hillary’s cheek. She rubbed her nose against Bill’s cheek then lay down, resting her head beside Bill’s.   
He ran his fingers through her hair.   
“Thank you for tonight,” Hillary whispered gratefully.   
Bill smiled, “It was my pleasure, Blondie.”  
He leaned over and pecked her lips. “How about I take you and Jessica out for lunch tomorrow?”  
“Yeah, I’d like that very much,” Hillary answered, completely forgetting about Nick’s visit the next day. “So would Jessica. She asks about you all the time.”   
Bill smiled, “Really? Aww, she’s too sweet.”   
Hillary grinned, “She’s my kitty cat.”  
Bill smiled in return and chuckled. “Where did that nickname come from anyways?”  
“She was a cat for Halloween last year. She was so cute,” Hillary smiled at the memory.   
“Aww, I bet she was adorable,” Bill replied. “You’ll have to show me pictures sometime.”  
“Thank you for being so sweet to her,” Hillary gratefully said.   
Bill smiled, “She’s pretty perfect.”  
Hillary nodded, “I think so, too.” She reached over and stroked Bill’s cheek, “You’re kind of perfect, too.”   
“No,” Bill shook his head. “You’re the perfect one.”  
Hillary shook her head.   
He kissed her head, “You’re way too hard on yourself, baby.”  
Hillary looked down.   
Bill squeezed her, “What’s wrong, babe?”  
“It’s just...I don’t think anyone has ever seen me the way you do,” Hillary honestly answered. “It’s like you can see right through me. I don’t think any man I’ve been with has ever tried so hard to figure me out.”  
“Can I tell you something?” Bill asked.   
Hillary nodded in response.   
“The more you let me in and the better I get to know you, the more I realize there isn’t one thing I don’t like about you,” Bill honestly said.   
“Seriously?” Hillary asked, surprised.   
“Yes,” Bill nodded, dead serious.   
Hillary just stared at him for a few seconds before she leaned over and passionately kissed him. She wrapped her arms around him as Bill moaned into the kiss. She intertwined her legs in Bill’s as she continued kissing him. Bill pulled away and stared at Hillary in awe.   
“What?” Hillary asked.   
“Just you,” Bill smiled. “You’re the perfect person for me.”  
Hillary smiled, “I love being with you.”  
She shivered.   
“Are you cold?” Bill asked, pulling her closer, trying to keep her warm. “Do you want to get dressed? I could give you one of my sweatshirts.”   
Hillary shook her head, “I like seeing you naked.”  
Bill smirked, “I could say the same about you.”  
Hillary rolled her eyes, “Yeah because stretchmarks and a C-section scar are _so_ attractive.”   
Bill ran his hands down her body. “Hillary, you are so incredibly sexy and attractive. Why can’t you see yourself the way I see you?”   
“Maybe you’re just crazy,” Hillary shrugged.   
“It’s a possibility,” Bill shrugged. “I don’t think so though. I graduated top of my class.”   
Hillary smiled at him proudly, “Did you?”   
Bill nodded sheepishly and shrugged.   
“So did I,” Hillary replied.   
“See, we would have been friends,” Bill said.   
“Or competitors,” Hillary smirked. “I really want to get to know you better. What was your childhood like?”   
Bill shrugged, “Pretty average, I guess.” He wasn’t in the mood to get into everything with Hillary right at that moment. “How about yours?”   
“Yeah, the same,” Hillary answered. “It was pretty suburban and typical.” She smirked. “Were you a mama’s boy?”  
“Very much so,” Bill chuckled. “Were you a mama’s girl like Jessica is?”   
Hillary nodded and smiled. “My mom’s amazing.”   
“I guess you see your family pretty often now that you’re back in Chicago?” Bill asked her.   
Hillary nodded again, “We’re all really close.”  
“That’s nice,” Bill said.   
“What about your family? Are you guys close?” Hillary asked.  
Bill nodded, “I’m close with my mother and brother. My biological father died before I was born.”  
“Oh, Bill, I’m so sorry,” Hillary said, frowning.   
Bill shrugged, “That’s life I guess. My mom’s been remarried a few times. I’m really close with my brother though.”   
“Oh, well, that’s good,” Hillary replied. “Brothers are good.”  
“Yes, they are,” Bill agreed. “I want my kids to have lots of siblings. So they’re not lonely growing up.”  
Hillary nodded, “You’re really good with kids. At least you are with Jessica.”   
“What about you?” Bill asked. “You seem hesitant about having any more kids besides Jessica.”   
Hillary shrugged, “I’d love to have more one day. I adore children and I'm happiest when I'm around them. But I think I can only handle one right now anyways. I’ll have to see how my life goes and where life takes me. I didn’t want to be a mother yet when I got pregnant but I sure do love being Jessica’s mom.” She smiled to herself.   
Bill smiled, “I can definitely tell.”  
Hillary grinned.   
“Tell me more about you,” Bill said, as Hillary rested her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair.  
“I’ve never been outside of the United States,” Hillary said. “I really want to travel someday.”   
“I studied at Oxford in London for a bit,” Bill replied.   
“Was it amazing?” Hillary asked.   
“It was phenomenal,” Bill answered.   
“I’m kind of jealous,” Hillary admitted. “I was supposed to go to Paris with friends the summer after we graduated law school but then I got pregnant with Jessica.”   
“You could still go one day,” Bill offered. “I'll take you. I’d love to show London to you, too.”   
Hillary smiled a little, “You’d want to go with me?”  
“Sure,” Bill nodded. “You’ve never left the country before. I’d love to experience your first time travelling abroad with you. I could show you all the best places in London.”   
Hillary grinned, “That would be amazing.”   
Bill smiled, “I want us to work out. I love your company.”   
“Yeah?” Hillary said, smiling. “Well we’ll see where things go.”   
“No promises?” Bill asked.   
Hillary shook her head and sighed, “No, not yet.”   
“I guess that’s understandable,” Bill realized.   
Hillary sighed, “Bill, I really want this to work but I have to be careful.”   
“No, I get it,” Bill nodded. “Take your time.” He gently kissed her lips. “I really like you though.”  
“I really like you, too,” Hillary said.  
She kissed him again as Bill pulled her closer. She rolled on top of him as he ran his hands down her back.   
Hillary giggled, “Round two already?”   
“Are you up for round two?” Bill asked.   
Hillary bit her lip, smiled, and nodded. Bill nodded and passionately kissed her lips. He gently squeezed her ass. She moaned in response and pressed her hips against his body. He started placing wet kisses along her neck.   
“Oh, Bill, you’re making me wet,” Hillary whispered.   
“Good,” Bill growled. “I want you soaking wet, baby.” He rolled her over and began lightly sucking on her neck. She tilted her head up to give him easier access. He started stroking her inner thighs.   
“Bill,” she moaned loudly.   
He gently ran his finger over her clit. Hillary bit her lip.   
“Fuck,” she whispered.   
“Do you like that?” Bill growled.   
Hillary whimpered in response. Bill started kissing down her stomach.   
“More,” She moaned.   
Bill kissed her core.   
“Mmmmm,” Hillary moaned.   
Bill started licking at her clit.   
“Oh, yeah,” Hillary breathed out.   
She felt Bill push a finger inside her.   
“You’re so tight,” Bill growled.   
Hillary moaned loudly in response as Bill resumed licking her clit.   
“Bill,” she gasped. “I want you. Please.”   
He sat up and kissed her lips. “Okay, babe.”   
He grabbed another condom from his nightstand and put it on before straddling Hillary. Hillary moaned as Bill pushed into her.   
“Oh, Bill.”   
Bill groaned and kissed Hillary’s lips again. Hillary moaned into the kiss.   
“You’re so amazing,” she whispered.   
“No, you are,” Bill whispered in return, before kissing her neck. She gasped with pleasure.   
“Harder,” Hillary moaned.   
Bill obeyed and groaned.   
“Bill,” Hillary started moaning before Bill silenced her moans with a deep kiss. He suddenly pulled away from the kiss and leaned back.   
“Oh, my God, Bill! You’re so deep!” Hillary moaned.   
“You like this, Hillary?” Bill growled.   
“Yes!” She cried out with pleasure. “Keep going! It feels so good…”   
He wrapped his arms around her waist and stared into her eyes. “You’re so goddamn sexy.” He started kissing and sucking on her neck.   
“I’m going to come,” Hillary breathed out. “Are you close?”  
“Give me a second,” Bill groaned. He thrust deeper.   
“Bill, I’m so close,” she whimpered.   
“What if we switch positions?” Bill asked. “Lay on your side.” He pulled out of her. “I want to come with you.”   
“Bill, you’re too good. I’m not going to last long,” Hillary gasped as she did what Bill said and he pushed back into her.   
“Go ahead and come, baby,” Bill growled.   
“I want us to come together though,” Hillary moaned, clenching her muscles.   
“Fuck, Hillary,” Bill growled, thrusting quickly.   
She let out a high pitched moan and began to come as Bill pinched her clit. “Yes!” She cried out.   
Bill thrust a few more times before he climaxed with Hillary. “Oh, God…” he groaned.   
He held her close to him as they both climaxed.   
“You’re amazing,” Bill breathed out as they both fought to catch their breaths.   
“I love this,” Hillary whispered.   
Bill placed soft kisses along her jaw line. “I know. You’re incredible.”  
Hillary smiled to herself as they both lay back down, “So are you.”  
“Did you play sports in high school?” Bill asked her, wanting to continue getting to know her while they calmed down and caught their breath.   
“Nah, I was more into my academics and student council,” Hillary said, chuckling. “How about you?”  
Bill laughed, “Same. I preferred student government and playing the saxophone.” he ran his hands up and down her thigh. “Your legs are so sexy. They’re flawless. I love them.”  
Hillary scoffed.   
“What?” Bill asked, confused.   
“They’re too short,” Hillary said.   
“Absolutely not,” Bill said. “They’re so sexy. Your thighs, God. They’re so thick and perfect.”   
Hillary smiled a little, “Well, your abs are amazing.”   
Bill shrugged, “I try.” He laughed. “Do you run? We could go jogging together sometime?”  
“That would be great,” Hillary replied. "I need to get back into an exercise routine now that things are settling down after moving."   
“I’m a pretty fast runner though,” Bill warned her. “You’re forewarned now.”  
Hillary smirked, “You’re on then!” She chuckled, “I do chase after a three year old all day. Jessica is a very curious kid. She gets into everything. She’s like a little monkey, always climbing on things.”   
Bill chuckled.   
“She’s the love of my life,” Hillary smiled.   
“You’re lucky to have her,” Bill said. “She’s lucky too, for that matter.”  
Hillary smiled softly before Bill leaned in and softly kissed her.   
“I want to know more about you,” he said after they broke apart.  
Hillary chuckled, “I’ve been talking about myself all night.”  
“What were you like as a kid?” Bill asked.   
“Stubborn, independent,” Hillary answered. She laughed. “I loved playing with my friends and having fun. My hair was always a mess and my knees were always skinned.”  
Bill chuckled, “What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?”  
Hillary smiled weakly, “Hmmm, I don’t know...I’ve never travelled abroad as we talked about earlier. I haven’t been to the Chicago Zoo since I was a little kid. I’d love to take Jessica and see her experience it for the first time.”   
Bill kissed her neck, “Well, I’ll take you to do those things.”   
“You don’t have to,” Hillary insisted.   
“No, I want too,” Bill affirmed, playing with her hair. “It’s a date.”  
Hillary grinned before letting Bill kiss her softly.   
“You know something else I’ve never done?” Hillary smirked, getting an idea.  
“What’s that?” Bill asked, knowing Hillary was up to something.   
“Gone skinny dipping,” Hillary said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You mentioned that this building has a swimming pool. Nobody would be using it this late at night I’m guessing.”  
Bill smirked, “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”  
Hillary giggled as Bill stood up and pulled her up with him.   
They threw on some clothes and Bill grabbed a couple of towels before pulling Hillary towards the elevator.   
* * * *  
Hillary giggled as they stripped off their clothing and Bill jumped in the swimming pool. Hillary followed suit and Bill pulled her close to him as they treaded water.   
“Hi!” Hillary laughed. “Just as fun as I always imagined.”   
“I’m so glad,” Bill smirked as she wrapped her legs around him.   
Hillary smiled and quickly pecked Bill’s lips.   
He stroked her cheek, “You’re so beautiful, Hillary. I love your eyes. They’re so deep.”   
Hillary leaned in and kissed him again. “I love this,” she whispered.   
“Me, too,” Bill said.   
Hillary smiled and swam away from him.   
“Where are you going?” Bill chuckled as he swam after her.   
Hillary giggled, “I don’t know. I just like skinny dipping with you.”  
Bill grinned, “I love seeing you so happy and carefree like this.”  
“Yeah, I don’t get to be like this often,” Hillary said.   
“I know,” Bill replied. “I’m glad I get to see that side of you.”  
“You make me feel happy,” Hillary admitted without thinking.   
Bill smiled and reached for her hands, “I’m glad that’s how you feel right now. I _want_ you to feel that way.”   
Hillary smiled shyly, “This is hands down the _best_ date I’ve ever been on.”   
Bill smiled, “Yeah, I think so, too.”   
Hillary giggled, “We should race!”   
Bill smirked, “Game on, Blondie! On your mark, get set, go!”   
They both took off swimming but Bill let Hillary get ahead of him on purpose. Hillary turned around and looked at him. She laughed, “Come on!”   
“I’m tired!” Bill joked, laughing.   
Hillary swam back over to Bill and jumped on him. He laughed and playfully dunked her underwater. Hillary came up for air and tried to do the same to him.   
“Nope, blondie,” Bill chuckled, “I’m a little bit stronger than you, I think.”   
Hillary giggled and kept trying. She finally managed to dunk him but he pulled her down with him. Hillary came up for air, laughing hysterically. Bill grinned at Hillary after he came back up, and pulled her closer to him.   
“I love your laugh,” Bill complimented, grinning. “And can we just take a moment and appreciate how perfect your boobs are?”   
Hillary laughed, “No, we cannot because they’re not perfect.”   
“Um, I’m pretty sure they are,” Bill retorted, chuckling. “I love them.”   
Hillary scoffed, “They sag like crazy.”   
“They really don’t,” Bill assured her, staring down at them in appreciation as he lightly squeezed them. “For having had a kid, they’re amazing.”   
“Well they were better before I had Jessica,” Hillary said softly.   
“I like them just the way they are,” Bill said, before softly kissing her collarbone.   
Hillary relaxed. She pulled Bill’s chin toward hers and gently kissed his lips.   
“You’re gorgeous,” he whispered.   
“Thank you.” Hillary wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I need to get going soon. It's late.”  
“Come back upstairs to my place. Take a shower,” Bill offered.   
Hillary chuckled and raised her right eyebrow, “It’s like one in the morning, Bill. Aren’t you tired of me yet?”   
“Nope, never,” Bill replied. “I wish I could spend every hour of every day with you.”   
She smiled, convinced. “Okay, fine. I’ll stay a bit longer.”   
They swam over to the side of the pool and got out of the water. Bill handed her a towel.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said as she wrapped it around herself.   
“No problem, Blondie,” Bill smiled. He playfully pouted as Hillary dried off and started putting her clothes back on.   
Hillary giggled and threw Bill’s shirt at him. Bill laughed and shook his head at her before getting dressed.   
“Tonight was great,” Hillary said as they left the pool area and waited for the elevator. “Thank you.”  
Bill smiled, “You’re very welcome.”   
Hillary kissed his cheek before the elevator arrived and they hopped on. Bill wrapped his arm around Hillary’s waist.   
“You’re such a sweetheart,” Bill said. “Why don’t you let anyone know that?”   
Hillary slightly shrugged, “I’m tough.”  
“Yeah...but you’re sweet, too,” Bill argued.   
Hillary shook her head in disagreement.   
Bill laughed, “I think you are even if you don’t want to admit it.”  
“No, I don’t think so,” Hillary argued.   
“Well, I do,” Bill smiled and kissed her cheek. “I’m glad I get to see that side of you.”   
Hillary weakly smiled, “I feel so comfortable around you.”  
“I’m glad,” Bill said.   
Hillary smiled and kissed Bill’s cheek in return as the elevator arrived back at Bill’s penthouse. Hillary held Bill’s hand as he led her back inside, towards the living room.   
“Now feel free to say no,” Bill prefaced his next question, “But would you like to stay the night with me?”  
Hillary smiled shyly, “Honestly, I wish I could. I just don’t want Jessica to be confused when she wakes up and I’m not home.”   
Bill nodded, completely understanding, before thinking of an option to present to Hillary. “I understand. What if we wake up early and I can drive you home before she wakes up? I’m one hell of a cuddler.” He weakly smiled.   
“You really wouldn’t mind waking up super early on a Saturday and driving me home?” Hillary checked.   
“Nope, not at all,” Bill assured her. “I’ll even cook you breakfast.”   
“You don’t have to do that, but I will stay the night,” Hillary said softly.   
Bill grinned, “Wonderful! Thank you so much. The bathroom is just upstairs and to the right if you still want to take a shower.”   
“Want to join me?” Hillary offered in a sultry voice.   
“I’d love too,” Bill smiled.   
They went upstairs to the bathroom together and Bill turned the shower on. Hillary stripped off her clothes and stepped in, with Bill stepping in behind her and wrapping his arms around her from behind. Hillary grinned and turned around in his arms. Bill leaned in and kissed her again. He marvelled at how soft her lips felt. Hillary giggled as she grabbed the soap and started washing Bill’s body. Bill smirked in pleasure as she ran her hands over every inch of his body. She started kissing his chest. Bill took the soap from her and started returning the favor which elicited a moan of pleasure from Hillary.   
“Turn around. I want to wash your hair,” Bill said.   
Hillary nodded and did as he said. Bill deeply massaged the shampoo into her scalp.   
“You really know how to treat a girl,” Hillary smirked.   
Bill smirked, “I try.” He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder which caused Hillary to softly moan.   
“I love that sound,” Bill whispered in her ear.   
Hillary smiled as Bill rinsed the shampoo out of her hair.   
“Let me do yours,” she offered.   
“As you wish,” Bill smirked, leaning down slightly to make it easier for her.   
Hillary laughed as she started washing his hair.   
They finished up with their shower a few minutes later and Hillary reached for a towel after Bill had turned off the shower.   
“Want a T-shirt to sleep in?” Bill offered.   
Hillary nodded and followed Bill to his bedroom, “Sure, that sounds comfy.”   
Bill nodded and retrieved an Arkansas Razorbacks T-shirt for her from his dresser. Hillary dried off and slipped it on as Bill put on a pair of boxers and led Hillary over to the bed. He let her climb into bed first before he followed suit.   
“You’re so pretty,” he complimented as they lay down together.   
Hillary blushed and weakly smiled. “Thank you,” she said as she cuddled up to him.   
He kissed her forehead, “Tonight was amazing.”  
“It really was,” Hillary agreed, smiling. “Thank you so much for everything.”   
Bill wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, “You are _very_ welcome, darling. I hope we have many more nights like this in our future.” He squeezed her, “You’re pretty cuddly, too. I like that. We make a good cuddle couple.” He chuckled to himself.   
Hillary quietly chuckled in return, “You’re cute.”   
Bill smirked, “That’s what my mom says.”   
“Please don’t associate me with your mother,” Hillary laughed.   
“Yeah, I don’t have mind blowing sex with my mother,” Bill deadpanned.   
“I should hope not,” Hillary deadpanned back.   
Bill laughed, “You’re hilarious.” He leaned in and pecked her lips.   
“We should sleep,” Hillary said. “Jessica’s going to wake up at like seven in the morning. I have to be home before then.”   
“She’s an early riser, huh?”   
Hillary chuckled, “She likes to watch Saturday morning cartoons.”   
Bill chuckled. "Got it."   
“Sometimes she doesn’t even sleep through the night. She’s always coming into my bed with me in the middle of the night because she can’t sleep,” Hillary chuckled.   
“Aww,” Bill said, imagining that image.   
“At least she’s pretty good about watching TV or playing by herself quietly for a little while before she wakes me up on the weekends,” Hillary pointed out.   
“That’s a sign of a perfect kid,” Bill said.   
Hillary grinned, “She is pretty amazing.”   
Bill smiled, “You light up whenever you talk about her.”   
“I do?” Hillary asked, surprised.   
Bill nodded, “It’s cute.”  
Hillary smiled and nuzzled her nose into Bill’s shoulder.   
He kissed her forehead, “Goodnight, Hilly.”   
“Night,” Hillary said before closing her eyes.   
Bill smiled to himself as he held Hillary close to him. He leaned over and gently kissed the top of her head before he lay back and fell asleep with a smile on his face. __

_ _To Be Continued…_ _


	8. Chapter 8

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.   
Hillary yawned and cuddled up to Bill as his alarm clock started going off bright and early the next morning.   
Bill turned it off and softly rubbed her back, “How’d you sleep, Blondie?”   
“Pretty well,” Hillary answered, “It’s too early though.” She chuckled, knowing they had had a late night the night before and both of them had only gotten a couple hours of sleep each.   
Bill groaned, “Yeah, I know. It is nice waking up with you in my arms though.” He smiled. If he was honest, even though it was only a few hours, sleeping with Hillary in his arms caused him to have the best sleep he had had in months.   
Hillary smiled softly, “You’re even charming in the morning before coffee.”   
Bill smirked and chuckled.   
Hillary sat up, “I need to get dressed.”   
“I’ll make breakfast,” Bill offered.   
“No, that’s okay,” Hillary shook her head. “I really want to make it at home for Jessica before she wakes up.”   
“Fine,” Bill ceded. “How about I make it for both of you at your place then?”  
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Hillary argued.   
“I know, but I’d like to if that’s okay with you,” Bill affirmed, looking at Hillary softly. “I make pretty good pancakes if I do say so myself.”   
“Fine,” Hillary relented, chuckling. “Perfect. Jess loves pancakes.”   
Bill smiled, “Get dressed and let’s go then.”

* * * * 

A while later the two of them quietly crept in to Hillary’s apartment, being careful not to wake up Jessica and Melissa.   
“We can sleep until Jess wakes up,” Hillary suggested, gesturing to the empty couch, figuring Melissa was asleep in either Hillary or Jessica’s room.   
“Won’t Jessica thinks its weird and be confused if she catches us?” Bill pointed out.   
Hillary nodded and sighed, “You’re right.”   
“You sleep though,” Bill said. “I’ll make breakfast.”   
“No, no, I’m fine,” Hillary protested. “I’ll help you cook.”   
“Really,” Bill chuckled. “I don’t mind if you want to take a nap.”   
“No, I’ll help you cook,” Hillary insisted. “You don’t know your way around my kitchen yet and I need to teach you. I think Jessica and I would enjoy more breakfast dates with you.” She smiled dreamily at Bill.  
“I think you’re taking advantage of me, Ms. Rodham,” Bill teased, smirking.   
“Maybe so, Mr. Clinton,” Hillary quietly giggled.   
Bill chuckled at her.   
“I’m in that really good mood that only amazing sex causes,” Hillary admitted.   
Bill smirked, “I know the feeling well.”   
Hillary smiled and quickly pecked his lips.   
Bill wrapped his arms around her waist, “Now, where do you keep your frying pans?”   
Hillary showed him after Bill let her go. Jessica sleepily walked into the kitchen, rubbing her tired eyes just as Hillary was taking the eggs out of the refrigerator.   
Hillary grinned at the sight of her, “Good morning, my beautiful girl!”   
Jessica smiled at her mother before walking over to Hillary and reaching up, so that Hillary would pick her up.   
Hillary scooped her up, “Look who's joining us for breakfast.”  
Jessica smiled at Bill, “Good morning.”   
Bill smiled, “Good morning, Jessica. Did you sleep well?”  
Jessica nodded and shrugged, “Yeah. I missed my mama though.”   
Hillary smiled and cuddled her as Jessica placed a kiss on her cheek.   
“Is your Auntie Melissa still sleeping?” Hillary asked her.   
Jessica nodded, yawning.   
“Still sleepy?” Hillary asked her.   
Jessica nodded again.   
Hillary sat down at the kitchen table with her, getting Jessica settled on her lap. “Close your pretty eyes, sweetheart.” She kissed Jessica’s head.   
Jessica snuggled up to her mother and closed her eyes.   
Bill smiled at them and busied himself making pancakes while Jessica and Hillary relaxed. Hillary gently stroked Jessica’s silky blonde hair and kissed her cheek as Jessica drifted off to sleep.   
Hillary carried her over to the living room couch and gently laid her down before returning to the kitchen.   
“She’s absolutely perfect,” she said to Bill.  
Bill smiled, “Yeah, I think she gets that from you.”  
“Oh, hush,” Hillary blushed as Melissa walked into the kitchen.   
“Morning,” Hillary greeted her.   
“Good morning,” Melissa smirked.   
“Would you like to join us for breakfast? Bill’s making pancakes,” Hillary offered.   
“I have to go, I have some things to do today,” Melissa declined, wanting to give the three of them their privacy, “But call me later, okay?”   
“Oh, okay. Sure,” Hillary nodded.   
“I want details,” Melissa whispered in Hillary’s ear as she hugged her goodbye. Melissa smirked again.   
Hillary giggled, “Then details you shall get.”  
Melissa kissed her cheek, “See you later. Love you.”  
“Love you too, sweetie,” Hillary said. “Thanks so much for watching Jessica again and for spending the night. I owe you big time.”  
“No problem,” Melissa assured her. “But we can grab dinner on you later this week,” Melissa teased.  
Hillary chuckled, “Deal.”  
Melissa waved goodbye to Hillary and Bill as she grabbed her belongings and left.   
“She seems nice,” Bill said.   
“She is,” Hillary smiled. “All my friends are great. It’s nice having close female friends since I don’t have any sisters.”   
“That is nice,” Bill agreed.   
Hillary smiled and nodded as she set the kitchen table for the three of them, “Yeah.”  
She went to the living room to get Jessica.   
“Wake up, sleepy head,” she gently shook her.   
Jessica stirred slightly before yawning and opening her eyes. Hillary picked her up and kissed her head. “Breakfast time, baby.”   
She carried Jessica to the kitchen and set her down at the table.   
“Do I have to go to daycare today?” Jessica asked her.   
“Nope, its Saturday,” Hillary answered.  
Jessica nodded and smiled happily.   
Bill sat down next to her while Hillary made their plates. Jessica smiled over at him, happy that he was sitting with her.   
“What do you want to do today, Jessica?” Bill asked her.   
Jessica shrugged in response.   
“Well how does the zoo sound?” Bill asked, smiling at her.   
Jessica grinned in absolute delight at that idea.   
Hillary smiled, “That sounds great, Bill.” She was excited to spend more time with Bill and also to get to take Jessica to the zoo with him like he’d promised he’d do one day.  
Jessica squealed and giggled, “Yay, I’m so excited!”   
Bill chuckled and grinned at her excitement.   
Jessica got up from the table and walked around to Hillary’s side. She crawled into Hillary’s lap and kissed her cheek.   
Hillary smiled, “You’re so sweet, baby girl.”   
“I love you, Mommy,” Jessica sweetly said.   
“I love you, too, baby,” Hillary replied.   
Tom smiled at how sweet they were together while Hillary pushed Jessica’s plate across the table towards her.   
“Did you have fun with Auntie Melissa last night?” Hillary asked Jessica as Jessica happily ate her pancakes. She gave Jessica a gentle, loving squeeze.  
Jessica nodded, “Yep. She painted my nails. See?” She showed Hillary her freshly painted light pink fingernails.   
Hillary smiled, “They’re very pretty, sweetheart.”  
Jessica smiled at the compliment, “Thanks, mommy. Oh yeah, daddy called last night.”  
Bill noticed that Hillary’s smile suddenly turned into a tense frown and all color had drained from her face.   
Jessica frowned in response, “He said to tell you that he’s not happy with you. And then Auntie Melissa took the phone from me and said a lot of bad words to him.”  
Hillary attempted to regain her composure and soothingly rubbed Jessica’s back, “Don’t worry about any of that. Okay, sweetie? Mommy will talk to him.”  
“He’s coming over today. I don’t want to see him, mama! He was scary last time he was here. He was so mad at you, mama,” Jessica frantically said.   
“Sh…” Hillary cut herself off before she swore in front of Jessica, as she remembered that her ex was coming to town to see Jessica. “Shoot! I totally forgot he was visiting this weekend.” She hugged Jessica tightly. “It’s going to be fine, sweetheart. Don’t you worry.”  
Jessica shook her head in a frenzy and whined, “I don’t want to see him, mama! I want to go to the zoo!”  
“Shhh, we can still go to the zoo today,” Hillary attempted to calm her down.  
“He’s still going to be mean to you!” Jessica nervously said, tearing up.   
Hillary kissed her cheek comfortingly, “Hey, don’t get upset. He isn’t going to be mean to me.”  
“But I saw him hit you one time, mama!” Jessica cried.   
Hillary blushed, embarrassed that Bill was in the room to hear that. Bill looked at Hillary in concern after hearing Jessica say that.   
Hillary looked down, not being able to meet his gaze before she looked back at Jessica, “Sweetie, your dad didn’t mean to do that. It just happened in the heat of the moment.”  
Jessica just shook her head, still visibly upset.   
“It’s okay, sweet girl,” Hillary soothed, trying to calm Jessica down. She squeezed Jessica tightly and kissed the top of Jessica’s head.   
“I don’t like him,” Jessica said, quietly as she clung to Hillary.   
“Don’t say that,” Hillary said to her, rubbing Jessica’s back. “He loves you.”   
“He would see me lots if he did,” Jessica sadly said, frowning.   
Hillary stroked her hair, “I’ll talk to him, baby. Don’t worry. Let’s just finish eating our breakfast and then we’ll have a fun day at the zoo. Okay?”   
“Okay,” Jessica replied softly.   
“I won’t let him hurt your mom,” Tom assured Jessica.   
Jessica worked up a small smile, “Really?”  
Tom nodded, “Mmmm hmmm.” He smiled at Jessica.   
“Okay,” Jessica said, nodding as she was able to smile bigger.   
Hillary weakly smiled and kissed her head. 

* * * * *

“Go wait in your room and mommy will help you get dressed,” Hillary said to Jessica a while later after they had finished eating.   
Jessica eagerly nodded and happily ran to her room.   
Bill looked at Hillary softly as she got up and started clearing the breakfast dishes from the table. He walked over and hugged her.   
“I’m okay,” Hillary assured him, sighing.   
“I’m sorry you and Jessica have had to go through that with her father,” Bill said sincerely, staring into Hillary’s eyes.   
Hillary shrugged, “It’s my fault. I push Nick’s buttons too much.”   
“Well, that still doesn’t give him the right to be mean to you and to physically hurt you,” Bill replied, shaking his head.   
Hillary shook her head and shrugged again, “No, I deserve it.”  
“Hey, don’t you dare say that!” Bill said firmly, cupping her chin. “You are amazing. It kills me to know that he’s hurt you.”   
“Hush,” Hillary waved him off. “I’m fine. I promise.”  
“Well I don’t want anyone to ever hurt you again,” Bill said, thinking back to his own childhood. “I meant it when I said I would protect you.”  
Hillary nodded, “Thank you, Bill.” She pecked his cheek. “I’m going to go check on Jessica.”   
Bill nodded as Hillary walked to Jessica’s room.   
“How are you making out, sweetheart?” Hillary asked her.   
“I want to wear a dress, mama,” Jessica said.   
Hillary nodded, walking over to Jessica’s closet, “Sure. Let’s pick one out.”  
“I want that one,” Jessica said, pointing to a cute yellow sundress with flowers on it.   
Hillary nodded and started helping her daughter get dressed.   
“I like Bill, mommy,” Jessica said.   
“Me, too,” Hillary admitted to her daughter, smiling.   
“He’s nice to us,” Jessica pointed out.   
“Hillary nodded in agreement as she started doing Jessica’s hair, “Mmmm hmmm.”   
“Can I have braids, mommy?” Jessica asked.   
Hillary smiled, “Sure, baby.”   
Jessica grinned, “Yes!”   
“Did daddy say what time he was coming at?” Hillary asked Jessica as she began braiding her hair.   
Jessica shook her head.   
“I guess I’ll have to call him,” Hillary realized.   
Jessica sadly sighed. “I don’t want to see him.”  
Hillary sighed, too. “You have to, sweetheart. I don’t want him to be angry at either of us.”  
Jessica frowned and teared up again.  
Hillary frowned, “Oh, baby.” She tightly hugged her little girl and squeezed her.   
Jessica sniffed.   
“Don’t you worry. Today’s going to be a fun day,” Hillary tried to soothe her. “Guess what? Mama hasn’t been to the zoo since she was a little girl either.”   
“Really?” Jessica sniffed again, with a small smile.   
Hillary smiled and nodded.   
Jessica giggled. “Then get dressed, mommy!”   
Hillary smiled, happy that Jessica was feeling better. “Go play with Bill while I get ready.”  
Jessica nodded excitedly, “Yay! Okay!” She ran to the living room where Bill was looking at the family photographs Hillary had around the room.   
“Mommy’s getting dressed,” Jessica told him as Bill sat down on the couch. She crawled up onto the couch and onto Bill, settling comfortably in his lap.   
“You’re a good climber,” Bill chuckled.   
Jessica smiled, “I know.” She suddenly squealed as Bill started tickling her.   
Bill grinned.   
“You’re so cool, Bill,” Jessica said.   
Bill chuckled, “Thanks.”  
“Do you like my mama, Bill?” Jessica asked him, stretching out in his lap.   
Bill nodded, “I like her a lot. She’s smart, funny, pretty, and nice.”   
Jessica nodded in agreement with Bill, “I love her.”  
Bill smiled, “I bet.”  
Jessica grinned, “She’s the best mama in the whole wide world.”  
“Hmmm, I think I have the best mama in the whole world,” Bill teased, chuckling.   
“Nuh-uh! I do!” Jessica insisted, shaking her head.   
“Nope, I do,” Bill laughed.   
“Well I wouldn’t trade,” Jessica said.   
Bill smiled, “I wouldn’t either if I was you. Your mama’s amazing.”  
“Hi!” Jessica happily said as Hillary came back to the living room, dressed and ready to go. “Can we go now?”  
Hillary nodded, “I want to pack you some snacks though.”  
“We can just buy food there,” Bill suggested.   
“But its expensive,” Hillary countered, opening one of the kitchen cupboards and reaching for a box of granola bars.   
“It’ll be my treat,” Bill offered.   
“No, no, I can’t expect you to do that,” Hillary shook her head. “We have plenty of snacks and juice boxes here at home that we can bring.”  
“No, I want pizza for lunch!” Jessica whined.   
Hillary sighed, suddenly feeling slightly frazzled, “Jess, this will just be easier. I can make us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too.”   
Jessica sighed sadly.   
“Hillary, it’s fine. Don’t worry about making sandwiches. Today is my treat,” Bill insisted.   
Hillary shook her head, “I can’t let you do that.”   
“Yes you can,” Bill said nonchalantly. “I won’t take no for an answer. Come on, let’s go.” He noticed Jessica was getting antsy.   
Hillary sighed, relenting, “Fine.” She grabbed Jessica’s hand in hers.   
“Yay!” Jessica grinned. “I’m excited! And happy!” She giggled.   
Hillary smiled at her daughter’s enthusiasm, “Good! I’m excited, too!”   
Bill smiled at both of them.   
“I have to put her car seat in your car,” Hillary said to Bill as they rode the elevator downstairs to the parking lot.   
Bill nodded, “Sure, no problem.”   
Jessica reached for Bill to pick her up.   
Bill smiled and scooped her up.   
“Mommy hasn’t been to the zoo since she was little,” Jessica to him. “Did you go to the zoo when you were little?”  
Bill chuckled at her and nodded.   
“I’m so excited,” Jessica giggled as they got off the elevator and Hillary went off to get Jessica’s car seat from the car.   
“I’m excited, too,” Bill said to Jessica, spinning her around.   
Jessica hugged him as Bill smiled to himself.   
A few minutes later Hillary returned with Jessica’s car seat and they put it in Bill’s car. Hillary got Jessica buckled in and Bill began driving. Hillary smiled to herself as Bill reached for her hand and she happily took it in her own.   
“Thank you for this,” Hillary whispered to him.  
“You’re so welcome,” Bill whispered back, sneaking a smile at her. 

* * * * 

Jessica loudly squealed as they pulled up to the zoo a while later.   
Bill grinned excitedly as he found a parking spot.   
“Shoot, I should have brought her stroller,” Hillary realized, as she unbuckled Jessica after the car was parked.   
“I can carry her if she gets tired,” Bill offered.   
“Yay!” Jessica cheered.   
Hillary chuckled, “Okay, then. If you're okay with that.”  
"Of course I am," Bill reassured Hillary, smiling.   
“I want to see the monkeys!” Jessica squealed as they entered the zoo.   
“Then let’s go!” Bill excitedly said.   
Jessica grabbed Hillary’s hand while Bill grabbed her other hand and they all walked towards the monkeys section together.   
“We’re a family!” Jessica happily said.   
Hillary was taken aback and scooped Jessica up. “Honey, you and I are a family. Bill’s our friend.”  
“Then why are you holding his hand?” Jessica asked, frowning in confusion.   
Hillary stroked her hair and sighed, frowning, “I’m sorry, Jess, if I’m confusing you.” She turned towards Bill. “This wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t want you two to get attached so soon.” She suddenly started feeling stressed out and guilty for her actions. “We should leave. I can bring Jessica to the zoo another time by myself. This is bad,” she rambled.   
“Hey,” Bill said softly, touching Hillary’s cheek. “Slow down. Everything’s okay. Can’t we just explain to her that you and I are going to be spending time together from now on?”  
Hillary sighed and nodded, “Okay, I guess. That sounds good,” she said quietly.   
She carried Jessica over to a nearby bench. “Mommy needs to talk to you for a minute, kitty cat.”  
Jessica nodded, looking up at Hillary curiously.   
“Bill and I have been spending a lot of time together, haven’t we?” Hillary started.   
Jessica nodded again and then smiled. “We’re going to be a family one day, right?”  
“I don’t know, Jess,” Hillary admitted quietly, stroking Jessica’s hair. She sighed. “I don’t want you to be upset if that doesn’t happen, baby.”   
“But I thought we were all happy,” Jessica said in confusion. “We all like being with each other.”  
“That’s true,” Hillary nodded. “We just want to take things one day at a time, kitty cat.”   
“But maybe one day we’ll be a family then?” Jessica pressed, hopefully.   
Hillary sighed, “I can’t make any promises, baby girl.”  
“How about we make a deal,” Bill cut in. “We can all keep hanging out and having fun if you leave all the complicated grown up stuff to your mommy and I. You shouldn’t be worried about this stuff, sweetie.”   
Jessica nodded, “Okay. I like that.”   
Bill smiled at her, “Just focus on being a kid and having fun.”  
Jessica nodded again. “Okay. We can all still have fun at the zoo, right?” She asked Bill and Hillary.  
Hillary chuckled, “Of course.”  
Jessica wrapped her arms around her mother. Hillary smiled and kissed her forehead.   
Jessica grinned, “Come on, let’s go see the monkeys!”   
She got up from the bench and ran off. Hillary quickly followed suit, chasing after her. Bill grinned and ran after the two of them. Jessica giggled happily. She squealed as they arrived at the monkeys exhibit.   
“Ahh, look at them!” She squealed happily.   
Bill smiled and scooped her up so she could see better.   
Hillary grinned, “You’re my little monkey.”  
“Nuh-uh! I’m a kitty cat,” Jessica giggled.   
“She has a point, Hill,” Bill chuckled.   
Jessica climbed up onto Bill’s shoulders. “I love today!” she giggled.   
Hillary smiled happily, feeling content and relieved that Bill and Jessica got along so well.   
“Can we see the tigers now?” Jessica asked.   
Hillary nodded and Bill carried Jessica as they all walked to the tigers section together.   
“Rawr!” Jessica growled, seeing them. “I’m a tiger, too!”   
Hillary chuckled, “You’re a pretty cute tiger, baby girl. Can I be a tiger too?”   
“Sure!” Jessica squealed. “You can be the mama tiger and I’ll be the baby!”   
Hillary smiled and reached for her, “Come here.”  
Jessica smiled and jumped out of Bill’s grasp and into Hillary’s arms. Hillary happily spun her around. Jessica giggled happily.   
“You’re the best mommy ever!” Jessica grinned while Hillary smothered her in kisses.   
Hillary smiled and passed Bill her camera, “Bill, would you mind taking our picture?”  
Bill smiled, “Sure, no problem.”   
Jessica kissed Hillary’s cheek while they posed for the camera. Hillary smiled and laughed.   
“Where to now?” she asked, after Bill took a few photos.   
“I want to see the giraffes,” Bill smiled.   
Jessica grinned excitedly and nodded.   
Bill smiled, “Follow me.”  
Hillary put Jessica down so they could all walk to the giraffes together. Bill lifted Jessica back up when they got there so she could see better.   
“They look so funny,” Jessica giggled, clapping her hands happily. “One day I’ll be that tall.”  
Hillary chuckled, “I don’t think so, baby.”  
“Yes so!” Jessica insisted. “If I eat all my vegetables!”   
“You might be taller than mama one day,” Hillary said. “You never know. Your dad’s tall.”   
“You’re tall, mommy,” Jessica said.   
Hillary chuckled, “Yeah, compared to you.”   
“The giraffes are taller than you, mommy,” Jessica said.   
“Yeah, a lot taller,” Hillary laughed.   
“So what?” Jessica shrugged, “I’ll grow that tall one day.”  
Bill chuckled at how cute Jessica was being.   
“Okay, honey,” Hillary chuckled.   
“I love the zoo!” Jessica squealed. “I love my mommy and Bill and dresses.”   
Bill laughed, “That’s quite the variety.” He grinned at her.   
Jessica giggled loudly.   
Hillary smiled, “I love her laugh.”  
Bill smiled and then whispered in Hillary’s ear, “I love your laugh.”  
Hillary blushed and giggled a little. “Really?”  
Bill nodded and smiled at her.   
Hillary smiled, taking his hand in hers.   
“Can we see the seals now?” Jessica asked.   
“Sounds good,” Hillary enthusiastically replied.   
Jessica clapped her hands and they went over to the seals.   
Bill asked a stranger if they could take a picture of the three of them. The stranger nodded and took Hillary’s camera from Bill.  
Hillary picked Jessica up and Bill wrapped his arm around Hillary’s waist, pulling her close to him.   
Hillary smiled as the stranger snapped a pic of them. She was starting to have fun and was feeling a lot better about things than when she had first arrived at the zoo.   
Bill started gently rubbing Hillary’s back as the stranger gave the camera back to Hillary. “Are you guys getting hungry? Should we grab some lunch?”   
Jessica nodded eagerly, “I want pizza!”   
“I guess that’s a yes,” Hillary chuckled.   
Bill chuckled, “Pizza sounds good. Is that okay with you, Hillary?"  
Hillary smirked, "Surprise me."   
Bill nodded and chuckled as they came across a food court area.   
“You two sit down,” Bill said. “I’ll get the food.”  
“Thanks, Bill,” Hillary smiled at him.   
Bill smiled back and walked off to buy their food. Hillary found them a table and Jessica crawled into her lap after Hillary had sat down.   
Hillary placed a kiss on the top of her head.   
“I love today, mama,” Jessica said.   
Hillary smiled at Jessica, “Me, too. And I love you.”  
“I love you, too, mama,” Jessica grinned. “Do you love Bill?”  
“Umm…. he’s my friend,” Hillary answered, caught completely off guard and taken aback by the question.   
Jessica giggled, “Like a boyfriend?”  
Hillary just laughed nervously rather than answer as Bill brought their lunch over to the table.   
“I got her a kid's cheese pizza with a juice box,” Bill told Hillary, smiling. “And I got us burgers, fries, and Diet Cokes.”   
"Thanks so much, Bill," Hillary gratefully said.   
“Are you mommy’s boyfriend, Bill?” Jessica sweetly asked him as he handed out their food.   
Bill chuckled, slightly surprised by her question but he took it confidently in stride. “Yes, I think so.”   
Hillary smiled to herself, happy to hear confirmation from him on that.   
Jessica giggled, “Yay!”   
“Eat up, little one,” Hillary said to her, pecking the top of her head.   
Jessica nodded and began eating.  
Hillary glanced over at Bill and Bill snuck a glance back over at her. Hillary smirked.   
“You okay?” Hillary asked him, double checking.   
Bill smiled, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”  
“Just making sure,” Hillary weakly smiled.   
“I’m pretty happy, in fact,” Bill grinned. “I’ve had the best day ever so far.”  
Hillary grinned, “Me, too.”   
Bill leaned in and pecked her lips. Hillary smiled softly.  
“Can I take a picture of you two?” Jessica asked them.  
Hillary laughed, “Do you know how?”  
Jessica shrugged, “Ummmm, probably.”  
Hillary smirked, “How about I teach you?”  
Jessica nodded, “Okay.”   
Hillary smiled and showed Jessica how to use the camera. Bill wrapped his arm around Hillary as they posed for the camera.   
“Good job, honey,” Hillary smiled after Jessica took it.   
“You’re so pretty, mama,” Jessica said.   
Hillary smiled, “Thank you, little one.”  
“Where to next?” Bill asked as they finished up their lunch.   
“I want to see the bears!” Jessica announced.   
Hillary nodded, “We can do that.”  
Bill smiled as he scooped up Jessica and held Hillary’s hand with his free one.   
“Aww, he’s sleeping,” Jessica said sweetly as they approached the bears.   
“See the baby bears, Jessica?” Bill pointed out to her.   
“Aww!” Jessica squealed. “Look at them! They’re so cute!”   
“Like you,” Hillary grinned.   
Jessica giggled, “Look, mama. They’re so furry! Take a picture please.”  
Hillary smiled and nodded before snapping a few photos.   
“Can we all watch a movie together when we get home?” Jessica asked.   
“Maybe,” Hillary answered. “We have to figure out what time your daddy is coming over at.”  
Jessica frowned and looked down sadly, “Oh, right.”  
“Hey, don’t be sad, sweetheart,” Bill said, crouching down to be eye level with her. “We can watch a movie together another time.”  
“Do you have to go home after the zoo?” Jessica asked him.   
“Well I don’t have any other plans for the rest of the day but you should spend some time with your daddy,” Bill explained.   
“But I want to stay with you!” Jessica whined, frowning. “You promised you wouldn’t let him hurt my mama.”  
Hillary picked her up, “Hey, calm down, honey. Your dad isn’t going to hit me again.”   
Jessica cuddled up against Hillary and rested her tiny head in the crook of Hillary’s neck.   
Hillary soothingly rubbed her back, “Seriously, Jessie. Don’t worry.”   
Bill looked at them softly.   
“Sorry she’s so worked up,” Hillary frowned. “It’s really not that big of a deal. I can handle Nick.”  
“I can stay with you guys when he comes over,” Bill offered.   
Hillary shook her head, “No, we’ll be fine. Promise.”   
“Noooo! I want Bill!” Jessica whined.   
Hillary sighed, “I think we should go home. You need a nap.”   
“Nooooo!” Jessica whined, before she burst into tears.   
“Yeah, we should probably get going,” Hillary realized.   
“Come on. I’ll take you guys home,” Bill offered as Jessica rubbed her tired eyes, still crying.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said, gratefully.   
Jessica whined as they started walking through the zoo towards the exit. “This isn’t fair!”   
“Shhhh,” Hillary soothed, rubbing her back.   
They eventually arrived at Tom’s car and Hillary buckled Jessica in.   
“Sorry this trip had to end abruptly,” Hillary apologized as she got in the front seat with Bill.  
“It’s okay. I completely understand,” Bill assured her. “We still saw almost everything interesting there is to see, anyways.”   
Hillary nodded, “It’s past her naptime. She needs a nap.”  
“I need one, too,” Bill joked.   
Hillary chuckled, “Are we that exhausting?”  
“Yes!” Bill teased, laughing.   
Hillary laughed, “Sorry about that.”  
Bill shrugged, “I’ll just have to get used to it I guess.” He snuck a glance over at Hillary as he started driving back to Hillary’s apartment. He smiled at her.   
Hillary chuckled and smiled back at him, “You better get used to it.” She turned around in her seat and noticed that Jessica was sound asleep in the back.  
“She really likes you, Bill,” Hillary said as she turned back around.   
“I like her, too,” Bill smiled.   
Hillary smiled too but her smile quickly turned into a frown. “Today was a bad idea.”  
“Why would you say that?” Bill asked, frowning in confusion.  
Hillary sighed, “I didn’t want to drag a new man into her life so suddenly.”  
Bill frowned, “I’m sorry if you feel like I pressured you into today.”  
“No, no, no,” Hillary shook her head.   
Bill looked at her softly while stopped at a red light.  
Hillary sighed sadly.   
“What’s wrong?” Bill asked her.   
“I just didn’t want to do this to her,” Hillary sighed again.  
“Is it necessarily a bad thing though?” Bill asked.   
“It is if we break up,” Hillary pointed out.   
Bill scoffed, “Who says we’re going to break up?”  
Hillary just shrugged.   
“Well, I don’t plan on us ever breaking up,” Bill simply said. He paused and hesitated before saying, “I’m going to marry you.”  
“What!?” Hillary exclaimed, taken completely off guard. “No, no, no. You can’t say stuff like that! We can’t date now!”  
“What!?” Bill scoffed in confusion.   
Hillary sighed, “Just take us home. Please.” She shook her head at Bill.   
Bill sighed, realizing he probably spoke too soon but it was his true feelings. They rode the rest of the way in silence. Hillary sighed when she realized that Jessica’s father, Nick, was waiting in the parking lot of her apartment building when Bill pulled in.   
“Shit!” Hillary cursed. “Shit, shit, shit.” She braced herself for what was coming.   
“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Bill soothed.   
Hillary shook her head, “Probably not.” She quickly got out of the car and unbuckled Jessica from her car seat. “I’ll see you at work Monday morning,” she said to Bill as she scooped Jessica up into her arms.  
Bill sighed, “Can I at least call you tonight? We should probably talk.”   
“Maybe,” Hillary hurriedly said, looking down, hoping to avoid a confrontation with Nick.   
Bill got out of his car and walked over to her. He gently placed his hand on her cheek. “Hey, don’t shut down, Hillary. I’m sorry if I freaked you out but I was just telling you how I honestly feel.”   
“Whose this loser, Hillary?” Nick asked, walking towards the three of them.   
“Don’t,” Hillary said firmly, shaking her head.   
“Tell me. Seriously,” Nick warned. “And where the hell have you been? You know it's my weekend to visit Jessica.”  
“Yeah, well you’ve not shown up in the past,” Hillary argued. “And this is Bill...he’s a...friend.”  
Nick snorted, “Your friend?”  
Bill nodded, stepping in front of Hillary, getting in between her and Nick. “Yeah, that’s right!”   
“Take it from me, dude,” Nick started. “If you’re thinking of getting involved with her, don’t.”   
“Just go,” Hillary mumbled to Bill.  
Bill looked at her softly, debating what to do. He was hesitant to leave her, thinking of his own childhood and things his mother had gone through, but ultimately he decided to listen to Hillary, not wanting to make things worse for her. He nodded, “I’ll call you later, Hill.”  
Hillary just nodded.   
Bill stared at Hillary for several minutes, still not wanting to leave her before he managed to get into his car and drive away.  
Hillary sadly sighed as she watched his car drive away.   
Nick followed her as she carried Jessica inside their apartment building. He tried to grab Jessica out of Hillary’s arms while they waited for the elevator.   
“Stop it, Nick!” Hillary pulled Jessica away from him. “She’s sleeping!”   
Jessica woke up and whined in confusion. She wrapped her arms around Hillary’s neck.   
“What? You’re not happy to see me?” Nick asked her.   
Jessica rubbed her eyes sleepily. “I want mama,” she said quietly.   
“I haven’t seen you in months, Jessie,” Nick said. “Let me hold you.”  
Jessica pouted and shook her head.   
“Don’t mind her. She’s just grumpy because she didn’t have a proper nap,” Hillary explained.   
“I’m tired, mommy!” Jessica whined.   
“Jess, calm down so you can enjoy your time with daddy,” Hillary soothed.   
“Yeah, let’s go to the park,” Nick suggested as they got off the elevator and walked down the hallway to Hillary’s apartment.   
Jessica shook her head, “I’m tired.”  
Nick sighed, “Did you get her this exhausted on purpose, Hill?”  
Hillary rolled her eyes as she unlocked her door and let them into her apartment, “Oh, don’t be ridiculous.”   
Nick sighed, “I’ve missed you, Jessie.”  
“You should see me then!” Jessica whined.   
“Well, I’m visiting now,” Nick smiled. “I can’t help it that my job is in Florida.”   
Jessica huffed, “You don’t call, daddy.”   
“I’m sorry, Jess,” Nick sighed. “I’ve just been really busy, baby.”  
Jessica nodded, “It’s okay. I love you.”   
Nick smiled weakly, “I love you, too baby girl.”  
Hillary rolled her eyes at him again without him noticing.   
“Want to watch Cinderella with me?” Jessica asked him.   
Nick nodded, “Sure, sweetie. That sounds like fun.”  
Hillary nodded, “I’ll put it on for you guys and then I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything. I have some work to catch up on.”  
“No mommy!” Jessica whined. “Watch the movie with us! Please!”   
Hillary sighed as she got Jessica settled on the living room couch, “Sweetie, you should spend some alone time with your daddy. I’ll be right next door.”   
Jessica sighed, “Fine.”  
Hillary nodded before pecking Jessica’s forehead and popping Cinderella into the VCR. Once she was sure Jessica was settled in and comfortable, she went to her bedroom to take her contacts out and to grab her paperwork and glasses. She walked to the kitchen, put on her glasses and pulled out the case files she needed to review. As she started spreading the various papers across the kitchen table, her phone rang.   
“Hello?” She answered.   
“Hillary!” Bill said. “Hi. I just wanted to apologize.”  
“For?” Hillary asked, not in the mood for this at that moment.   
“I shouldn’t have brought up marriage,” Bill said. “It’s way too soon and I really didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”  
Hillary swallowed. “Do you really feel that serious about me already?”  
“I do, Hillary,” Bill answered, truthfully and honestly. “There’s something about you. I’ve never felt this way before about any woman in the past.”  
“Please stop,” Hillary cut him off, tearing up.   
“Why?” Bill asked softly.   
“I just can’t do this right now,” Hillary tearfully said, everything that had happened in the past couple of hours finally catching up with her. “I’m not ready yet.”  
Bill sighed, “Okay, I’m sorry, again. Do you still want to see each other at least?”   
“Yeah, I’d like that,” Hillary admitted.   
“Okay,” Bill said. Hillary could hear his small sigh of relief on the other end of the line. “I’m glad, Hillary.”  
“Hold on a second, Bill. Let me call you back in a minute,” Hillary said. She decided to go talk to Bill on the phone in her bedroom so that Nick couldn’t potentially overhear her end of the conversation. She quickly walked to the bedroom and called Bill back from the phone in there.   
“How are things going with Nick?” Bill asked her after he picked up.   
“Things are okay right now actually,” Hillary answered. “He’s watching Cinderella with Jessica right now.” She sighed. “I’m sorry I freaked out on you earlier. I’m just scared. I haven’t really been in a serious relationship with anybody since Nick. And you know how that ended.” She chuckled slightly.   
Bill softly chuckled, “Yeah. But I understand, Hill. I just want you to know right now that I’m serious about us.”   
“Okay, yeah,” Hillary said, twirling a strand of her hair with her free hand.   
“You’ve been having a good time with me, right?” Bill checked.   
“Yes,” Hillary whispered. “The best time.”  
“You’re incredible, Hillary,” Bill said.   
Hillary grinned to herself.   
“I’m sorry if I’ve been too forward,” Bill sincerely apologized. “I’m not used to this either. I’m just trying to be honest with you. I really like you.”  
“I’m a little freaked out by all of this, to be honest, but honesty is good,” Hillary assured him. “I’m happy with where our relationship is right now.”  
“Good, good,” Bill replied, satisfied. “I am, too.”  
Hillary smiled to herself again. “Thanks for calling, Bill. We needed to have this conversation. But I should probably go check on Nick and Jessica. Maybe we can try and do something tomorrow though.”  
Bill smiled, “Okay, yeah. I’d like that. A date tomorrow sounds good. I’ll call you tomorrow.”   
“Okay, sounds good,” Hillary said. “And thank you for being so understanding about everything.”   
“No problem,” Bill replied softly. “_Please_ call me if you need _anything_ or if Nick causes any trouble.”   
“I will,” Hillary said. “I promise.”  
“Okay,” Bill said. “Goodbye, Hillary.”   
“Bye, Bill.” 

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not sure when the next update will be to be honest because I'm kind of stuck with where to go now but I do still have ideas and things I want to do with this story and this universe. So I will try to think of something and somehow get the ideas out of my head and update as soon as possible lol. Thanks everyone for still reading and sticking around!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got some inspiration for this story again and wrote a short update. As always, thank you for your comments and kudos, they are much appreciated and I'm glad you are all enjoying this story. Hope you enjoy this little update!

It had been an odd and unsettling rest of the weekend for Hillary. She was now more confident of where she and Bill stood but they hadn’t ended up getting together on Sunday or spoken much over the rest of the weekend. It hadn't been that long but she was already missing him. She had come into the office an hour earlier to get a head start on her work for the day and was looking forward to finally seeing Bill.   
“Morning.”  
She looked up from her files when she heard a familiar drawl. She smiled to herself.   
“Good morning, Bill.”  
“How was the rest of your weekend?” Bill asked her, as if nothing was wrong while he grabbed some papers from his briefcase.   
“Oh, it was fine,” Hillary shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.   
Bill nodded and didn’t say anything.   
Hillary sighed. “Things with Nick were fine. Don’t worry,” she said, as if she could read her boyfriend’s mind. She knew he was probably worried about how Nick had behaved but she knew that he wasn’t going to outright ask her. “He watched movies with Jessica for the rest of Saturday and on Sunday we all went out for lunch with my parents. He flew back to Florida early this morning.”  
Bill nodded, “Good...that’s good.” He sighed. “I was nervous,” he admitted.   
“I know but I can take care of myself if anything had happened,” Hillary assured him. “And Nick’s terrified of my dad anyways,” she smirked.   
Bill chuckled, finally feeling like he could relax some for the first time in hours. He and Hillary would be alright and he was finally confident that Nick wasn’t a threat to Hillary or to his relationship with her. “Want to have lunch together today? We can go out. My treat.”   
Hillary smiled, “Lunch sounds great, honey.”   
Bill nodded, “Perfect. I have a deposition for most of the morning but we can meet at that Italian place up the street around one?”   
He didn’t want to freak Hillary out but he did have some important things he wanted to discuss with her over lunch.   
Hillary nodded, “One o’clock is perfect.”   
* * * *   
“You sure know the way to a girl’s heart,” Hillary joked to Bill as a gigantic plate of spaghetti and meatballs was placed in front of her by the waiter.   
Bill chuckled, “This place is fantastic. I can’t believe I haven’t taken you here for lunch yet.”   
“I’m starving,” Hillary exclaimed as she immediately dug into her pasta. She had been so busy with work that morning that she had forgotten to eat her mid-morning snack and before she knew it, it had been time to meet Bill for their lunch date.   
“So...um, I do have something to tell you,” Bill nervously said, taking a sip of his water.   
“Oh?” Hillary asked, intrigued now.   
Bill sighed, “As much as I loved spending Saturday with you and Jessica at the zoo, I obviously didn’t like how things ended that afternoon. It’s not your fault obviously what happened with Nick, but I was kind of sad and upset right after I left your place, so I bought a plane ticket to Arkansas before I called you. I leave Friday night.”   
“_Arkansas_?” That had been the last thing Hillary had been expecting Bill to tell her.   
“It wouldn’t be for forever. Just for a few weeks. A month tops. Matthew and the other managing partners already approved me for the time off and Matthew said he’ll cover my cases. I just need a change of scenery, Hill. It would be nice to be home for a few weeks and to see family, especially my mom. And I need to start looking into my options for running for political office, too.”   
“Wow…” Hillary said, at a total loss for words. Obviously their relationship was still in its early stages so he didn’t have any obligations to her or Jessica. She knew Bill was entitled to taking a vacation and using his vacation time at work, but selfishly she wanted him to stay in Chicago with her. “Well...I’ll miss you, that’s for sure. So will Jessica. And I’m happy to help Matthew with covering your cases,” she managed to shakily say as she tried not to cry.   
“Come with me, Hillary,” Bill said softly, staring at her tenderly. Truth be told, he would miss Hillary like crazy for almost an entire month. “You can bring Jessica. You two need a vacation. Both of you would love Arkansas, trust me. I have a house out there and you guys can stay with me. It’ll be fun.”   
Oh, Bill,” Hillary sighed harshly. “I would love too, and so would Jess, I’m sure, but it's too early in our relationship to be meeting family and going on a vacation together. Maybe we can do a weekend getaway somewhere some time in the fall instead as a practice trip.”  
“No, it isn’t,” Bill shook his head. “I meant it when I said I had serious feelings for you. I would love to take you home with me. _Please_, Hillary.”   
Hillary shook her head, “I’m so sorry, Bill. I’m just not ready for that step yet.”   
* * * *   
It was a strange rest of the week for both Bill and Hillary as Bill made the necessary preparations for his trip to Arkansas and Hillary supported him as much as possible. She was going to miss him terribly, especially not being able to see him at work every day, but she just wasn’t ready to take such a momentous step in their relationship yet. They had decided they would talk on the phone with each other as much as possible while Bill was gone and as much as the distance between them would be difficult, Hillary thought maybe the space would be good for them and their relationship in the long run. 

Hillary had decided to drive Bill to the airport that Friday evening so they could spend a few more final moments together before Bill’s flight left. Jessica was back at Hillary’s apartment with Dorothy since Bill and Hillary didn’t want to upset her. Hillary shakily sighed as she parked her car at the correct gate.   
She had been holding it together pretty well for most of the drive but she could feel herself beginning to crumble. Bill squeezed her hand gently before they got out of the car. Hillary helped Bill with his luggage and decided to walk him inside so that they could say a proper goodbye to each other.   
She sadly sighed after Bill had checked in and was about to head to airport security after they said their goodbyes.   
“Well, this is it,” Hillary said, shakily.   
“I’ll miss you, Blondie,” Bill drawled with a weak smile as he softly stared into Hillary’s deep blue eyes. “Don’t worry, this month is going to fly by. You’ll be too busy with work and Jessica to miss me.”   
Hillary shook her head as she teared up, “Not true.”   
Bill frowned and cradled Hillary’s face with his hands. “Don’t cry, Blondie. It’s not forever. I'll try to be back by Jessica's birthday.”  
“Don’t go,” Hillary cried.   
Bill sighed, “Then come with me, Hillary. You can probably get a flight out tomorrow.”  
Hillary shook her head again, “I can’t. I have Jessica and…”  
“Okay, shhh, shhh,” Bill tried soothing her. He hated seeing his girlfriend so upset. He wished he hadn’t caused her this pain and he would do anything to take it away. “I’ll see you in a month, sweetheart. I’ll call you every night, I promise.”   
Hillary nodded.   
Bill gently stroked away her tears with his thumbs. “Please, don’t cry, Hilly. I love you.”   
Hillary was taken aback but also comforted by that proclamation. She knew Bill was in love with her but that was the first time he had actually said those three words to her out loud.   
“I love you, too,” Hillary whispered back, meaning it.   
Bill gently smiled before leaning in for a kiss. Hillary passionately kissed him back knowing that it would be their last kiss for the next month. She tightly squeezed him as she hugged him goodbye.   
“I’ll see you in a month,” Bill said after they pulled apart. “Give Jessica a hug for me.”   
Hillary nodded. “I will. See you in a month.”   
They hugged goodbye one last time before Bill grabbed his carry-on bag and walked away. It was going to be a _long_ month for both of them.   
* * * * *  
Hillary was drained by the time she walked back into her apartment a while later. She had cried the whole drive home and it had been a crazy, long, and exhausting week; both personally and professionally. She was looking forward to eating dinner, getting Jessica ready for bed and going to bed early herself. She had a full day of activities planned for the next day to distract both herself and Jessica from Bill’s absence. She was starving so she was relieved that she smelled food cooking when she walked in the door. Her mom must have cooked dinner she realized. She was grateful that her mom had done that for her and Jessica without Hillary asking. She walked into the kitchen and saw Jessica coloring at the kitchen table while Dorothy stood over the stove, cooking.   
“Mommy!” Jessica squealed.   
Hillary grinned. She was devastated by Bill leaving but her daughter’s smiling face always instantly cheered her up, no matter what. “Hi, sweetie. Are you having fun with grandma?”   
“Oh yeah!” Jessica nodded. “We played Barbies, and now I’m coloring!”   
“I see that,” Hillary smiled. “And thanks for cooking dinner, Mom. You didn’t have to do that.”   
“Oh, it's no trouble,” Dorothy assured her daughter. “You must be exhausted, sweetheart.”   
“I am,” Hillary sighed.   
Dorothy realized from Hillary's red and puffy tear stained face that Hillary had been crying and she frowned. She squeezed her daughter’s shoulder. “Miss Jessica wanted macaroni and cheese for dinner but I can make you whatever you want, darling.”  
Hillary shrugged, “Macaroni and cheese sounds good.” She didn’t have much of an appetite, truth be told. “Can you watch Jessica for five more minutes while I go get changed?” She asked her mother.  
“Of course, sweetheart,” Dorothy chirped.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said before she went into her bedroom. She quickly took out her contacts, changed out of her work clothes and put on a comfortable pair of loose gray sweatpants and a white camisole. She threw on a navy blue cardigan and lay down on her bed. She knew that she should get back to her mom and Jessica but she wanted to relish the silence of her bedroom for a couple more minutes before getting back to her mom duties.   
* * * * *  
“Hillary? Sweetie?”   
“Huh?” Hillary groped around on her nightstand for her glasses.   
_What time is it?_ She thought. She squinted at her alarm clock on the nightstand. _10:13 PM._  
How had it gotten so late? She had only meant to close her eyes for five minutes.   
Her bedroom door opened a crack and Dorothy poked her head inside.   
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep, mom,” Hillary apologized as she sat up and put her glasses on.  
“Oh, don’t worry about it, darling,” Dorothy assured her, coming into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed next to her daughter. “You obviously needed the rest.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “Jessica’s asleep?”  
Dorothy nodded, “Sound asleep. I just checked in on her. I tucked her in a few hours ago.”  
“Thanks,” Hillary said. “I really didn’t mean to fall asleep.”   
“I know, baby. Don’t worry about it. You needed the rest. You work yourself too hard. You deserve a vacation.”   
“What are you trying to say, Mom?” Hillary had spilled everything to her mom about Bill, their relationship, and their current debacle, the night before over coffee and cookies when she had gone over to her parent’s place to ask Dorothy about watching Jessica while Hillary took Bill to the airport.  
“I’m not saying anything,” Dorothy shrugged. “Jessie couldn’t stop talking about Bill all night, by the way. She loves the guy.”   
Hillary nodded and weakly smiled, “Yeah, they’ve grown close already. It’s cute. God, this month is going to be hard on her, too. This is why I didn’t want her to get attached to him so soon.” Hillary’s smile turned into a frown with that realization. “She’s going to be so confused why he left.”   
“Then go to Arkansas, honey,” Dorothy gently urged. “The three of you can get to know each other even better. I think Jessica would have so much fun.”   
Hillary scoffed, “_You_ and Dad haven’t even met him yet and you’re okay with me meeting his mom and brother first?”   
“Why not?” Dorothy asked. “He sounds like an amazing guy, Hillary. Your dad and I can meet him when he’s back in Chicago. Maybe you can bring him to our Labor Day Barbecue?”   
Hillary bit her lip as she carefully thought things over.   
“Seriously, you and Jessica need a change of scenery and you do deserve a break from work and city life. If anything, go for the vacation. I’ll even pay for your and Jessie’s plane tickets, sweetheart,” Dorothy urged.   
“I have money, mom,” Hillary sighed.   
“I know you have money, Hill,” Dorothy chuckled. “I want to do something nice for you though. Think of it as an early birthday present if that makes you feel better.”   
“I don’t know…” Hillary wavered.   
“You don’t need to make a decision tonight. Sleep on it. But I’m just putting the offer out there, darling,” Dorothy said, gently patting Hillary’s thigh.   
Hillary nodded as her stomach loudly growled.   
“Want me to reheat a bowl of that mac and cheese for you, baby?” Dorothy offered, chuckling.   
Hillary chuckled, “Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, mom.”   
“Come on,” Dorothy said with a smile.   
* * * * *  
After finishing a huge bowl of her mom’s warm and comforting macaroni and cheese with a leafy green salad on the side and a glass or two of Chardonnay, Hillary was feeling slightly better. And she had come to a decision.   
“Hey, mom?” She said, before taking a sip of her wine.   
“Yes, Hillary?” Dorothy stopped loading the dishwasher and looked at Hillary.   
“I think I will go to Arkansas after all.”

To Be Continued...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! It's been a while but I've been in a writing mood again and the new Hillary documentary on Hulu definitely inspired me to write and gave me some new ideas. I think there's only a few more chapters of this one left so I will try to write and update more in the future. Thanks for reading and sticking with this story! It is much appreciated!

Bill had been absolutely thrilled when Hillary called him the next day to tell him that she had decided to come to Arkansas after all. After making the appropriate travel arrangements for Jessica and Hillary, Bill had immediately gone shopping for new toys for Jessica as well as new bedding and other decor for his guest bedroom. He wanted to make it homier and more welcoming for Jessica. They would be staying in Arkansas for the next month and Bill wanted Hillary and Jessica to be comfortable in his home and in his home state. Especially, if they would one day hopefully be moving there permanently if everything worked out the way Bill hoped it would. 

They had only been in Arkansas for a few days but so far, Hillary was enjoying the experience a lot more than she had expected to. Bill’s house was tiny but cozy. It was the perfect home for their new family of three. Hillary appreciated that Bill had gone out of his way to buy toys and bedding for Jessica so that she would be happy and comfortable. And Hillary was ecstatic that Jessica had so much room to run around and play outside, including an actual backyard. It was much better compared to their apartment in Chicago and Jessica had even already befriended some of the neighborhood children. It made Hillary feel delighted that Jessica had playmates. Even though she still wasn’t quite one hundred percent sold on the living in Arkansas part of the equation, Hillary was definitely starting to picture a future with Bill, living with him and Jessica in a cute little house just like this one, as an adorable family of three. 

Hillary yawned as she walked into the master bedroom after she had just tucked Jessica into bed for the night. Bill was propped up against the headboard in bed flipping through a golf magazine. He looked up when he saw Hillary enter the room.   
“She asleep?” He drawled.   
Hillary nodded, “She’s out like a light. That trip to the zoo today exhausted her,” she chuckled as she started yawning again. “It tired me out, too, it seems.”  
Bill lightly chuckled, “I’m ready to hit the hay myself pretty soon.”   
“Hey, I warned you we would be exhausting,” Hillary teased as she quickly changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and a black camisole.   
“I don’t mind. I love having you two around,” Bill assured her.   
Hillary softly smiled as she finished changing and got into bed with Bill. They were going to bed a little earlier than usual that night since they were going to be visiting Bill’s mother and brother the next day and spending the weekend with them. Hillary was nervous about meeting them, especially about meeting Virginia, but she was also looking forward to it.   
Bill set his magazine aside on the nightstand and crawled under the covers. They both lay down together and got comfortable. Bill smiled to himself as Hillary rested her head against his chest and snuggled up to him.   
“Goodnight, Hilly,” Bill said, switching the lamp on the nightstand off.   
“Night,” Hillary chirped, closing her eyes.   
Bill was starting to drift off when Hillary’s voice woke him up from his sleepy daze.   
“I almost gave her up for adoption, y’know?” Hillary’s voice was barely above a whisper.   
“Hmmm?” Bill said, as he started to wake up.   
“I almost gave Jessica up for adoption,” Hillary said in a quiet but clear voice.   
“Really?” Bill replied, surprised by his girlfriend’s admission.   
Hillary nodded. “Nick had been pressuring me to get an abortion but I didn’t exactly want to do that. I didn’t know if I was ready to be a mother yet though. I was finishing law school and had my entire career ahead of me.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t want a baby to ruin my career prospects.” Her voice broke.   
“It’s okay, Hillary,” Bill assured her, squeezing her hand comfortingly and reassuringly. He wanted to hear the rest of the story.   
Hillary sighed. “It became too late to get an abortion and Nick wasn’t happy. I didn’t want him to hurt me and I still didn’t know what I was going to do about finding a job after law school. I knew no law firm was going to want to hire a young single unwed mother. So I met with a social worker about giving the baby up for adoption. I was ready to start the adoption process. I had the papers drawn up and everything. I was ready to take them home and sign them.”   
“What made you change your mind?” Bill asked curiously.   
“It’s stupid,” Hillary said and shook her head.   
Bill chuckled, “Tell me. I’m sure I won’t find it stupid.”  
“Well, when I left the social worker’s office, I felt her kick for the first time after I got in the car,” Hillary smiled to herself at the memory.   
Bill grinned at that. “I don’t think that’s a stupid reason at all, Hillary.”  
“Really?”   
Bill shook his head. “It’s not stupid at all. It’s really sweet, actually.” He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her.   
Hillary smiled. “Instead of helping me with giving Jessica up, the social worker ended up helping me to make other arrangements instead. And having her was the best decision I ever made. I’m really glad I didn’t go through with an adoption after all.”   
“I think you made the right decision, too,” Bill said softly. “I’m so glad I have the both of you in my life.”   
Hillary stared at him softly, “We’re really glad to have you, too. I love you, Bill.”   
“I love you, too, Hillary.”   
* * * * *  
Two days later, Bill, carrying a sleeping Jessica, and Hillary entered Bill’s house. They were both exhausted and Hillary was disappointed. Meeting Bill’s mother had definitely not gone as she had hoped or planned. Jessica had had fun at least, which Hillary was happy about, but she was definitely bothered by how the rest of the weekend had gone.   
“I’m going to put her to bed,” Bill whispered to Hillary, referring to Jessica who had passed out on the car ride home.   
Hillary just nodded as she went to the kitchen to get a glass of desperately needed wine. Bill came back just as Hillary was walking back to the living room, wine glass in hand. Both of them sunk down on the couch and Hillary cuddled up to Bill.   
“I’m sorry things didn’t go as well as I hoped this weekend, Hill,” Bill sincerely apologized.   
Hillary shrugged, “I get it. I’m not like the other girls you’ve dated.”  
“Yeah, because you’re so much better than any women I’ve ever been with,” Bill encouraged.   
Hillary rolled her eyes, “You don’t have to lie to me, Bill. I know you’d rather be with someone prettier and sexier. Your mom was right. You should be with a beauty queen if you want to be Governor one day.”   
Bill scoffed, “What the hell are you talking about, Hillary?” It had been a rough weekend and the car ride home had been tense but he had no idea his mother had gotten into Hillary’s head so badly. “I want to be with _you_ and only you, Hillary. You’re the most gorgeous women in the state. Hell, the entire world.”   
Hillary gave Bill a slight smile, “Really?”   
“Yes!” Bill insisted, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. “You’re the perfect woman for me. I swear. I don’t plan on letting you and Jessica go any time soon.”  
Hillary’s smile widened.   
“There, that’s what I like to see,” Bill grinned.   
Hillary chuckled.   
“Don’t worry about my mom. I talked to her but I will talk to her again. She’ll come around eventually, I promise,” Bill assured Hillary, gently stroking her hand with his thumb.   
Hillary nodded. “What did you say to her?”   
“I said that you two are actually a lot more alike than she thinks, and if she gives you a chance, she’s going to love you just as much as I do.”  
Hillary simply nodded again.   
“I know she’s going to come around,” Bill repeated. “If she doesn’t, I don’t care because I love you.” He wanted to bring up marriage again but he bit his tongue, remembering how Hillary hadn't had the best reaction to that the last time he mentioned it.   
Hillary nodded. “I love you, too, Bill.”  
Bill smiled. “And hey, at least my mom adored Jessica? And Jessica had a blast this weekend which is all that matters, right?”  
Hillary softly smiled, “Right.”  
Bill smiled and nodded. “Now let’s go to bed. We have some catching up to do,” he winked at Hillary. Physical intimacy had been sorely lacking in their relationship the past two nights since Jessica had been sharing the bed with them.   
Hillary laughed and rolled her eyes, “You’re such a man, William.”   
Bill smirked and shrugged.   
Hillary chuckled at her boyfriend, “Let me go kiss Jessica goodnight and then I’ll be right there.”   
“Hurry!” Bill called after her as she started walking in the direction of Jessica’s bedroom.  
Hillary laughed and rolled her eyes to herself.   
* * * * *  
A few days later, Hillary was washing dishes in the kitchen and watching Jessica play outside in the backyard from the kitchen window while Bill had gone out for lunch and a round of golf with some of his old high school friends. Hillary was smiling to herself , thinking about how amazing her life currently was and how blessed she was, while she watched her daughter play. She was lost in thought and daydreams when the doorbell ringing suddenly broke her out of her reverie.   
Hillary frowned. _Who could that be?_ She thought to herself.   
“Coming!” she called as she turned off the running water, dried her hands with a dish towel and went to see who was at the door.   
She opened the door to see a young girl, who was in her early twenties, Hillary guessed, standing on the front porch clad in workout clothes. She was slim and about Hillary’s height. She had red hair pulled into a side braid, with minimal makeup on.   
“Hi...is um, Bill, home?” The girl awkwardly asked Hillary. Hillary realized this woman obviously wasn’t expecting Hillary to answer the door.   
Hillary frowned, “Erm, no. He’s out right now. Can I be of assistance though? I’m his girlfriend.”   
“Um, just tell him that Cassie stopped by,” the woman said nervously.   
“Okay…” Hillary was taken aback and confused. Who the hell was this woman? And why did she want to speak to Bill? “Will do.”   
“Thanks,” Cassie replied in an uncomfortable tone before she turned around and walked away before Hillary could get anymore information.   
Hillary frowned as she closed the door and went back inside the house. She didn’t have a good feeling about this Cassie person… 

To Be Continued...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I definitely haven't been as motivated as I could be while in quarantine but I did get some inspiration to finish this chapter and continue with this story. I hope you've all been keeping safe and staying healthy! No promises, but I will try to write more in the future, and I think I definitely plan on finishing this story at least because we need all the distractions we can get right now. Let me know what you think of the update!

“‘And they all lived happily ever after. The end,’’ Hillary closed the book she had been reading to Jessica as Jessica yawned.   
“Goodnight, mama,” Jessica sleepily murmured, as her eyes started slowly closing.  
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Hillary gave her one last cuddle and kissed her forehead.   
“Goodnight, Bill,” Jessica mumbled.   
Bill smiled, “Night, sweetie. Sleep tight.”   
Jessica was drifting off as Hillary and Bill quietly tiptoed out of Bill’s guest room, Hillary turning off the light and leaving the door open a crack as she left. Hillary had been feeling uneasy for the rest of the day about her new suspicions of who Cassie was. She had been trying to act normal for Jessica’s sake but she felt scared, nervous, and anxious.   
“Do you want to watch a movie or play cards or something before we go to bed?” Bill asked her as they went into the living room.  
Hillary shrugged, “Yeah, a movie sounds good. I’ll just go make a cup of tea first.”  
“Are you okay, Hill?” Bill asked. “You’ve been acting strange ever since I got home from playing golf.”  
Hillary shrugged. “I’m fine.”   
Bill nodded, “Well go make your tea and I’ll find us a movie to watch.”  
Hillary nodded and was about to make her way into the kitchen but she stopped in her tracks instead and turned around, looking directly at Bill.  
“Who’s Cassie?” She asked him, nervously swallowing as a large lump in her throat started to form.   
“Cassie?”  
Hillary nodded. “You heard me. Cassie. She came by today looking for you while you were out.”  
“Oh, Cassie!” Bill nodded as if he suddenly remembered who she was. The wheels started turning in his head as he tried to think of something believable to tell Hillary. He shrugged. “She’s just a friend’s younger sister. She’s thinking of applying to law school next year so my friend thought I could offer her advice on taking the LSAT. That’s all.”  
“Really?” Hillary asked, raising her eyebrows. “That’s all?”   
Bill nodded, hoping Hillary didn’t notice his nervousness. “Yep. She’s just a family friend I’ve been helping out. I’ll give her a call in the morning. Thanks for letting me know she came by. Now come watch the movie with me.” He sat down on the couch and patted the empty spot next to him.   
Hillary nervously nodded, “Be right there.”  
She had to accept Bill’s explanation for what it was. But as she went into the kitchen and turned on the kettle, she still felt like something was off and he wasn’t telling the truth.   
* * * *   
She knew all she could do without proof was carry on as usual, enjoy her vacation, and keep on getting to know Bill better. Cassie hadn’t come around again and she didn’t think Bill had reached out to her so she was starting to relax and enjoy her vacation again after a few days.   
“Can we have cake for dinner tonight, mommy?” Jessica sweetly asked Hillary as they were walking back to Bill’s house from the cute little park that was up the street.   
Hillary laughed. “No, Kitty Cat. We aren’t having cake for dinner tonight. How does spaghetti and meatballs sound?”  
“But can we have cake for dessert then?” Jessica sweetly retorted as they got closer to Bill’s house.   
Hillary chuckled and shook her head to herself. Her sweet daughter was constantly amusing her. She was about to respond to Jessica's request but something caught her off guard. The red hair was impossible _not_ to spot. Cassie was hurriedly leaving Bill’s house, looking disheveled with messy hair and wrinkled clothes. She quickly got into her car that was parked on the street and drove away.   
“Mama, who was that pretty lady leaving our house?” Jessica innocently asked, staring up at Hillary.   
“Um, Jessie, baby, can you go play in the backyard for a little while? Mommy needs to talk to Bill about something,” Hillary said as they arrived back at Bill’s. She felt sick to her stomach but was trying to remain calm for her daughter’s sake. The things she wanted to say to Bill, she definitely didn’t want her daughter to hear.   
“But what about dinner?” Jessica obliviously asked.   
“Sweetheart, if you play quietly by yourself in the backyard for the next few minutes, we’ll bake cupcakes after dinner. Okay?” Hillary tried, feeling more and more frantic.   
“Okay!” Jessica said before she happily ran around the side of the house and into the backyard without a care in the world.   
“Bill!” Hillary called out as she walked through the front door of the house.   
“I’m here,” Bill walked downstairs in shorts and a T-shirt, slightly red-faced and sweatier than usual. “How was the park? Did Jessica have a good time?”   
“You _bastard_,” Hillary said through gritted teeth.   
“Excuse me?” Bill was taken aback. He took a few stops closer to Hillary. “What’s going on, Hillary?”  
“I’m so stupid,” Hillary shook her head. “I thought it was just office gossip.”  
“That what was...Hillary, I’m sorry. You’re confusing me. What are you talking about?” Bill asked, genuinely not realizing she hadn’t seen Cassie leaving.   
“I saw Cassie just now!” Hillary yelled. “I think I have a good feeling of what the two of you were up too. God, how could I have been so stupid? People at work tried to warn me that you were an adulterer and I ignored them.” She shook her head again and teared up. “How could you do this to me, Bill? I thought we were falling for each other.”   
Bill sighed, realizing he would have to confess everything to Hillary. “Come on, let’s talk,” he gently guided her over to the couch.   
“Yes, William. Let’s talk!” Hillary angrily retorted as tears fell down her cheek. She took a seat on the living room couch next to him.   
“Yes...Cassie is more than a friend,” Bill admitted. “We met through my friend when I came home over the Christmas holidays. I don’t know why I felt the impulse to reach out to her after you told me she came around. I’m so sorry, Hillary. I don’t know why I was so stupid. I’m sorry.”   
“Were Diedre’s friends at work right, then? Did you cheat on Diedre too?” Hillary asked, in between sobs.   
Bill just nodded.   
Hillary shook her head and sobbed. “How could I have been so stupid?”  
“You’re not stupid…” Bill sighed again. “_I_ was the stupid one. How could I cheat on you? The most perfect woman I have ever met.” He shook his head.   
“I knew I shouldn’t have let you and Jessica get attached so soon,” Hillary sobbed, as she suddenly realized that Jessica was going to be shocked and confused by not only their vacation being cut short but more so by Bill and Hillary’s breakup. How was she ever even going to explain this to her daughter?   
“I’m so sorry, Hillary,” was all Bill could say, feeling more shame than he ever thought imaginable.   
"You're disgusting," Hillary spat. "Getting a quickie in while Jessica and I were at the park." Hillary shook her head in disgust, feeling ashamed and humiliated. What was so wrong with her that every guy she had ever been with had either cheated or mistreated her?   
All Bill could do was silently stare at the floor, not knowing what else to say to Hillary.   
“We’ll get through tonight,” Hillary suddenly said, taking a deep breath as she attempted to calm down and pull herself together, more so for her daughter's sake. “Jessica wants to bake cupcakes after dinner so we’ll put on our best faces for her tonight. But come tomorrow morning, I’m packing mine and Jessica’s bags and getting the hell out of here.”  
* * * *   
Leaving Bill behind in Arkansas and going back to Chicago had been one of the most difficult things Hillary had ever done but she knew it needed to be done. Especially for Jessica’s sake. She didn’t want a man like that in her daughter’s life. Even though Jessica was confused by why they had to go back to Chicago, and Jessica and Bill’s goodbyes had been extremely difficult for Hillary to witness, she knew in her heart that she had done the right thing. Her and Bill would still have to work together when he came back from his vacation in a few weeks but she was trying to move on from him in the meantime. Being back at work the past few days had been a great distraction but now, she was spending her Friday night trying to unwind and relax. Jessica was sleeping over at Hillary’s parents house for a much needed distraction so Hillary had invited Melissa over for a girl’s night.   
“I just don’t know how I could have been so stupid, Mel,” Hillary sobbed, as she took a big gulp of wine. She had been going over everything again with her best friend and the wine was getting to her. “I mean, people at work tried to warn me.”  
“Shhhh, sweetie, you’re not stupid,” Melissa reassured her, gently rubbing Hillary’s shoulder. “You were in love.” Melissa shrugged, staring at Hillary softly.   
“And Jessica is probably even more upset than I am,” Hillary shook her head. “I’m the worst mother ever.”  
“Stop beating yourself up, Hillary,” Melissa said. “She’s three. She’ll get over it eventually.”  
“I hate men,” Hillary shook her head as she swigged back the rest of her wine.   
“Bill’s an asshole,” Melissa agreed. “I want to go key his car or something.”   
Hillary laughed, “No, no, don’t do that. Losing me was punishment enough.”   
“Now that’s the spirit!” Melissa teased as she finished her glass of wine.   
Hillary managed to chuckle as she reached across the coffee table to pour herself more wine.   
“Um, maybe you’ve had enough for now, Hill,” Melissa said, recognizing that Hillary was definitely drunk. And drunk and emotional was never a good combination for anybody.   
“No, no, I’m fine!” Hillary protested but a yawn snuck through anyways.   
Melissa chuckled, “You’ve had a long week, Hillary. Let’s get you to bed.”   
Hillary just nodded. Her nice comfortable bed and a good night’s rest of uninterrupted sleep without being woken up by Jessica in the middle of the night did sound amazing to her at that moment.   
“You can sleep on the couch, Mel,” she said, a slight slur in her voice.   
Melissa chuckled as she helped Hillary off the couch, “I was planning to.”   
Luckily Hillary was already in her pajamas so all she had to do was crawl into bed when they got to her bedroom.   
“Goodnight, Hill. Get some rest,” Melissa softly stared at her friend, hating to see Hillary so upset and broken up. She went to the bathroom and got Hillary an aspirin and a glass of water for the morning and left them on Hillary's nightstand.   
“Night, Mel,” Hillary sleepily said, already starting to drift off as soon as her head hit the pillow. The combination of alcohol and crying had exhausted her.   
And little did she know... she had left Arkansas with more than just a simple broken heart…

To Be Continued…


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments, thoughts, and feedback on the last chapter. Bill and Hillary definitely have a lot of things to work through, especially Bill.  
And if you celebrate Easter, I hope you had a nice holiday (even though it was a different kind of Easter for sure) and if not, I hope you had a lovely Sunday anyways. I have to say, at least my creative juices are finally flowing again so I am excited to continue with this story and other ideas I have for this story's universe. :)

**8 WEEKS LATER**

Hillary was slowly but surely getting over Bill and getting accustomed to being single again. Her and Jessica were the perfect little team of two just like they had always been before Bill ever came into their lives. Hillary was grateful that Bill had decided to stay in Arkansas for a few more weeks because she didn’t have to see him at work or share an office with him anytime soon. That definitely helped with the getting over him part of things. She had heard rumours floating around the office that he was planning to run for Congress in Arkansas but that didn’t mean anything to her anymore. At least he was free to pursue whatever he wanted and live wherever he preferred, without Hillary and Jessica holding him back, Hillary figured.  
_As much as he hurt me, he deserves that at least_ Hillary thought to herself as she was cooking breakfast one morning. She had been having trouble sleeping the previous night so she figured she would just get out of bed and take advantage of having extra time in the morning to cook a nice breakfast for herself and Jessica while she let Jessica sleep for a few more minutes. She figured it would be nice to take her time and have a delicious and leisurely breakfast with her daughter instead of grabbing cereal or a granola bar as they rushed out the door to daycare and work respectively. She had felt under the weather the past few days and she was pretty sure her period was due any day now because she had been having crazy PMS symptoms. She figured cooking a decent and filling breakfast for once might make her feel a bit better.  
She happily hummed to herself as she cracked some eggs into a bowl and quickly whisked them. But after pouring her egg mixture into the already warm frying pan, and starting to scramble them with a spatula, the familiar smell of scrambled eggs suddenly gave her a wave of nausea. She quickly grabbed onto the kitchen counter and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would pass. She gagged a few times but the feeling luckily passed after a few seconds.  
_That’s weird_ she thought. Scrambled eggs with lots of hot sauce was one of her favorite foods. She shrugged to herself and chalked it up to PMS as she continued making breakfast.  
* * * *  
Work had been going well for the past two months since she had returned from Arkansas. She was still picking up the slack from Bill’s cases while he was away so she was busy and exhausted but at least work was providing a distraction to help her to get over Bill, his betrayal and the ensuing heartbreak it had caused. Even though Bill was still in Arkansas and wouldn’t be returning to work for at least a few more weeks, (if ever), Hillary had still requested a new office to work in. Having to work in her old office, the office she shared with Bill, would have been too difficult because of all the memories that were attached to that room. Luckily, the firm’s partners and the office manager had complied with her request and she had been moved to a new office down the hall from her old one. She had to share with a first year associate but she didn’t mind; the young woman was a lovely girl and an excellent officemate. Both of them were often in court or depositions anyways, so they barely saw each other. 

Hillary yawned to herself as she made her way through a stack of paperwork and case files. She was happy to throw herself into work as a distraction but she was drained. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with something because she couldn’t afford to get sick right now. She hoped it was just PMS. She frowned. When was her last period anyways? She might be a few days late, she realized. She shrugged to herself.  
_It’s just late because of all the stress I've been under lately. It’ll come any day now_ she thought, not looking forward to that.  
She checked the time and realized it was almost lunch time. She decided it was a good time to take a lunch break before she had to meet with a client in the afternoon for a witness prep session.  
As she walked into the break room, the familiar smell of a freshly brewed pot of coffee gave her another wave of nausea. And this time...it was worse than it had been that morning. She quickly covered her mouth and ran to the nearest washroom. 

When she finished throwing up and came out of the stall to freshen up, Janine, the law librarian at the firm’s small but resourceful legal library, was washing her hands at the sink. Hillary didn’t know her very well but she was a warm, and friendly older woman. Hillary usually enjoyed making small talk with her when she saw Janine around the office or the few times she had needed to visit the law library. But after throwing up, Hillary felt embarrassed that Janine had probably overheard her. Hillary sheepishly smiled at her and looked away as she started washing her hands, not really feeling like chatting today.  
“Are you okay, love?” Janine asked her worridely, as she dried her hands with a paper towel.  
“Oh!” Hillary had been lost in thought and Janine’s voice snapped her out of it. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Hillary nervously smiled at her colleague.  
“Morning sickness is the worst isn’t it?” Janine said. “I had terrible nausea with all three of my kids. It gets better though. Ginger tea and saltines help, dear.”  
“Oh! No, I’m not pregnant,” Hillary corrected her, splashing a bit of cold water on her face. “I must be coming down with something. It’s going around.” She shrugged.  
“Oh, really? I’m sorry for assuming, love,” Janine sincerely apologized. “You just have a glow to you, is all.” Janine shrugged. “I hope you feel better soon, dear,” she said before she left the bathroom.  
Hillary stared at her reflection in the mirror as she wiped her mouth with a damp paper towel. With her insides still twisting, aching breasts, bright red cheeks, her face damp with sweat, and her bangs sticking to her glistening wet forehead, she certainly didn’t _feel_ like she was glowing. She just chuckled to herself at the thought that she could be pregnant. Her and Bill had always used protection and because of complications during Jessica’s birth, the doctors had told her it would be difficult for her to conceive again naturally in the future.  
_It’s just the flu_ she told herself, shaking her head to herself as she left the bathroom and started walking back to the breakroom.  
* * * *  
Later that night Hillary was cuddling with Jessica in bed and pondering whether she really could be pregnant. She wasn’t necessarily opposed to the idea of having another baby, even though Bill wasn’t in her life anymore. She had always wanted lots of children and she wanted Jessica to have a sibling one day. It would be difficult to be a single mom to two children but she could make it work. She was already doing fine on her own with Jessica. But at the same time, she didn’t want to get her hopes up if she wasn’t actually pregnant.  
All of her symptoms added up and felt similar to how she felt when she realized she was pregnant with Jessica but she was almost positive that her and Bill had always used a condom. She knew mistakes happened and _maybe_ they had got caught up in the moment and been a bit careless once or twice during their vacation but she still didn’t believe she could have gotten pregnant so easily based on what the doctors had told her about her uterus after Jessica was born. So, as she stared down at her sleeping daughter, she brushed that thought aside.  
A knock on her apartment door interrupted her thoughts. She carefully scooted out of bed as not to wake up Jessica and walked into the living room.  
“Mom!” She happily cried when she opened the door. Seeing Dorothy in her apartment hallway was a welcome sight. “Thanks for coming. I know it's late for you.”  
“Of course I came, sweetie,” Dorothy said, as she entered the apartment. “It’s no trouble at all.”  
Hillary had felt fatigued and nauseous all day so she had finally broken down and called Dorothy before putting Jessica to bed. She may have been almost thirty but she still wanted her mom when she was sick.  
“I brought ice cream, too. Chocolate, your favorite,” Dorothy said, holding up a shopping bag.  
“You’re the best, mom,” Hillary said, giving her mom a tight hug. She started tearing up when she felt her mom’s arms wrap around her in return.  
“What’s going on, Hillary?” Dorothy kindly asked, following Hillary over to the couch. “What’s wrong, baby?” she asked as they sat down.  
“I think I’m just PMS’ing or coming down with the flu or something but I’m so tired. I don’t feel well, mama,” Hillary cried, not being able to hold it in any more. “I don’t feel well _at all_.”  
“Oh, honey,” Dorothy frowned and pulled her daughter into her arms again. She soothingly rubbed Hillary’s back.  
“I can’t stop throwing up. I don’t know what’s wrong,” Hillary sobbed. A part of her was also missing Bill at a time like this, despite what he had done. Even though her mom was the best, she really wished she was wrapped up in Bill’s arms right now. He would make everything better if he was with her right now, just like he always did. But he had to go and mess around on her. Hillary was shaking her head internally.  
Dorothy bit her lip, “Is there a chance you could be pregnant, sweetheart? I mean you’re throwing up, having mood swings…”  
“And my boobs are aching like crazy,” Hillary interrupted, laughing through her tears.  
She sighed. “I’ve been pondering that all day, mom, but Bill and I were careful...I think.”  
Hillary was glad she had called her mom. She was one of the few people she could talk about this kind of stuff with, freely and without judgement.  
Dorothy weakly smiled, “Maybe you should go to the doctor, honey. Just to rule it out for sure. You never know, right?”  
“You think?” Hillary asked, sniffling.  
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt,” Dorothy shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “I can make you an appointment with my doctor if you want?”  
Hillary nodded, “Yeah, okay. Sure. Thanks.” A doctor’s visit so that she would affirmatively know one way or the other whether she was pregnant or not, wouldn’t hurt, right?  
“I’ll call the doctor’s office in the morning,” Dorothy reassuringly patted Hillary on the knee. She tried to hide her knowing smile from Hillary. A mother’s intuition was rarely wrong…  
“You and dad wouldn’t be mad if I was pregnant?” Hillary sniffed.  
“I think that ship has sailed, Hillary Diane,” Dorothy chuckled. “You’re turning thirty in a few weeks and you already have Jessica. We love Jessica and we’ll love another grandchild just as much. We’d help and support you as much as possible if you are pregnant.”  
Hillary nodded. A voice suddenly interrupted Hillary and Dorothy.  
“Grandma!”  
They looked up and saw Jessica running into the living room.  
“Shouldn’t you be in bed, Miss Jessica?” Dorothy chuckled. "It's really late, sweetheart." She knew that Jessica usually didn’t stay asleep once she fell asleep and she knew her visit probably hadn’t helped.  
“I was sleeping but then I woke up and heard your voice!” Jessica excitedly said.  
“I know you want to visit with Grandma but it's way past your bedtime, Kitty Cat,” Hillary weakly smiled.  
“How about I tuck you back in and read you a bedtime story?” Dorothy asked Jessica.  
“Ummm, okay!” Jessica excitedly nodded in approval.  
Hillary laughed, “That seems like a good compromise. Come give mommy a goodnight kiss.”  
Jessica happily obliged, giving Hillary a peck on the cheek. "Love you, mommy."  
"I love you, too," Hillary replied as Dorothy grabbed Jessica's hand and led her back to Hillary's bedroom.  
Hillary lay down on the couch while she waited for her mom to return.  
When Dorothy came back from getting Jessica back to sleep a few minutes later, she softly smiled at the sight in front of her. Hillary was sound asleep on the living room couch. She knew how worn out Hillary must be feeling, remembering how draining the first few weeks of pregnancy always were. Careful not to wake up her daughter, Dorothy put the ice cream into the freezer for Hillary and Jessica to enjoy another day, before she gently and carefully covered Hillary up with a blanket, gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, and quietly left Hillary's apartment. __

_ _To Be Continued…_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not happy with the ending of this chapter and it was mostly a filler chapter anyways but big things coming in the next few chapters so stay tuned!


	13. Chapter 13

Hillary nervously tapped her foot against the stained wooden floors of the coffee shop she was currently in and anxiously bounced her knee up and down underneath the table. She wrapped her hands around the mug of her decaf vanilla latte. Even though it was a balmy fall evening, and probably too warm to be drinking something hot, she was comforted by the warmth of the hot beverage against her hands. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and inhaled the scent of coffee and pastries. The news she had received nearly twenty-four hours ago had her head swimming even though she had had a feeling it was coming.  
So, while Jessica was at her weekly ballet class, she had arranged to have a coffee with Melissa to talk. She didn’t know why she was so nervous to tell Melissa, they had been friends for over ten years and were practically sisters. She had always supported Hillary through thick and thin, and was basically a second mother to Jessica.  
Hillary’s train of thought was interrupted when she saw Melissa enter the cafe. She waved to her to signal that she was there but Melissa was already jogging over to the table.  
“Hey, babe! Sorry I’m late, there was a train delay,” Melissa apologized.  
“Oh, no worries,” Hillary assured her, getting up to give her best friend a hug.  
After Melissa had ordered a drink and they had made all the usual small talk, Melissa cleared her throat.  
“So, what did you want to talk about, Hill?” Melissa asked, taking a sip of her iced coffee.  
Hillary took a deep breath. “Well, I have some news.”  
“Yes…?” Melissa looked at Hillary quizzically. “What’s up? You’re scaring me, Hill.” She chuckled.  
“I’m...I’m pregnant,” Hillary just came out and said it. She nervously swallowed.  
“Seriously?” Melissa nearly choked on the sip of coffee she had just taken.  
Hillary nodded. “8 weeks.” She looked down and flicked a piece of lint off her skirt.  
“Wow…” Melissa was speechless. “But I thought the doctor’s said…”  
Hillary sheepishly shrugged, “Doctors are wrong sometimes I guess.” She weakly smiled and sipped her coffee.  
“It’s Bill’s?” Melissa asked.  
Hillary nodded again and took a sip of her latte. “I guess we weren’t as careful as we thought.” She shrugged.  
“Who else knows?” Melissa asked which Hillary knew was Melissa’s sneaky way of asking if she’d told Bill yet or not.  
“Just my mom so far. I called her after I got the test results back,” Hillary answered, resting a hand on her abdomen. While she was extremely confused and conflicted, the one thing that she _was_ certain about was that she already loved the baby she was carrying inside of her.  
Melissa nodded and let the news sink in. After a beat she reached across the table for Hillary’s hand. Hillary smiled and grabbed Melissa’s hand with her free one.  
“I’m happy for you, Hillary. And I’ll be here for you for the whole pregnancy and beyond, you know that, right?”  
Hillary nodded, her eyes slightly tearing up in gratitude for her best friend.  
“And Jessica’s going to be _so_ excited to be a big sister,” Melissa said, trying to keep the mood light.  
Hillary nodded in agreement and smiled. “Oh, yeah.” She chuckled slightly. She knew Jessica was going to be over the moon to have a younger sibling.  
“But, Hillary?”  
“Yes?”  
Melissa squeezed Hillary’s hand. “You have to tell Bill.”  
Hillary frowned and nodded. “I know.” She bit her lip.  
“It’s his kid, too,” Melissa pointed out.  
Hillary nodded again in agreement. “I know.” She didn’t want another Nick situation on her hands and she wanted this new baby to have a father in his or her life even if she and Bill weren’t together.  
“So you’ll tell him soon?” Melissa asked.  
Hillary nodded. “I will.”  
* * * *  
However, a month passed and Hillary was nearing the end of the first trimester but she still hadn’t told Bill. He was still in Arkansas and she had no idea when he would be coming back to Chicago. They hadn’t spoken in the three months since she left Arkansas. While she knew it wasn’t that hard to pick up a phone to talk to him, it wasn’t the kind of news she wanted to deliver over the phone. He deserved to be told face to face. And she didn’t want to jinx things either. She just wanted to get through the first trimester and make sure the baby was healthy. She hadn’t even told Jessica yet. It would probably be somewhat of a high risk pregnancy due to the complications she had had with Jessica’s birth so she didn’t want to take any chances. 

She also hoped her pregnancy wouldn’t cause any trouble at work. She was on the partner track and she didn’t want to ruin that. Legally she knew they couldn’t outright ask her if she was pregnant, and they couldn’t fire her for being pregnant either so her plan was to just keep getting bigger and hope that nobody asked her about it. She would deal with things at work when the pregnancy became impossible to hide. She had already started gaining some weight, mostly in her breasts and her face, but she had started wearing more loose fitting shirts just in case. She didn't want to draw any suspicion at work just yet. 

As she walked into the conference room for the firm’s monthly meeting with all of the firm’s associates and partners, she was suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. There was Bill, sitting at the big boardroom table, laughing and catching up with some colleagues as if no time had passed at all. She had no idea he had returned to work that day.  
Hillary decided to take her seat, and waited to see whether Bill would notice her or not. She put her glasses on and pretended to be deeply engrossed in the meeting agenda that was in front of her, hoping Bill wouldn’t notice her. After a minute or two, she looked up and Bill was staring right at her. She quickly looked away from him, as their boss started the meeting. 

“Well, the first order of business is that we are happy to welcome Bill back from his five month leave of absence! So let’s give Bill a nice round of applause.”  
Hillary half-heartedly clapped. She looked towards Bill again and he was still staring at her.  
* * * * *  
The meeting went by in a blur. Hillary could barely concentrate because all she could think about was Bill, what he had done, and the baby. Bill had stared at her for most of the meeting but she had just tried to ignore him for the most part.  
As she saw him chatting with some of the partners outside the conference room after the meeting had adjourned, she took a deep breath. It was now or never if she was going to work up the nerve to talk to him…  
He had finished his conversation with the partners and she saw him walk into the copy room with some paperwork.  
“Hey...Bill,” Hillary tentatively said, following him into the copy room. “Welcome back...I guess.”  
“What do you want?” Bill gruffly said, his back turned to her.  
“Can we talk after work? It’s _really_ important,” Hillary firmly said, trying to stay strong.  
“_Now_, you want to talk? After three months?” Bill finally turned around to look at her.  
“I had nothing to say to you. What you did was inexcusable,” Hillary affirmed. “And you could have reached out to me...given me an explanation.”  
“There is no good explanation for what I did and I’m sorry,” Bill simply said. “I figured you didn’t want to work things out. I was giving you your space. That’s why it took me so long to come back to Chicago.”  
“Well, we need to talk. Something’s come up. It’s important,” Hillary repeated. “So can we meet after work? At the cafe downstairs?”  
“Fine,” Bill reluctantly agreed.  
"Thank you," Hillary gratefully said before she left the copy room and went back to work.  
* * * * *  
Hillary nervously inhaled and exhaled while she waited for Bill after work. She fiddled with a loose thread on her skirt and took a sip of her tea. Bill had said he was tying up a few things and he would meet her in a few minutes.  
True to his word, she saw him enter the cafe a few minutes later. He half-waved at her and walked over to her table.  
“Do you want a drink or anything?” Hillary offered. “My treat.”  
“I’m fine,” Bill shook his head as he loosened his tie slightly. “And I just wanted to apologize for my behaviour in the copy room earlier. I didn’t need to be so short with you. It was just a shock to see you again after all this time. I really do want to apologize for my behaviour in Arkansas, I know I hurt you—”  
“I’m pregnant,” Hillary cut him off, cutting to the chase.  
“What?”  
“Twelve weeks,” Hillary said, as she cleared her throat.  
She tried to gauge Bill’s reaction but she didn’t know if the news had registered with him yet or not. His face was showing a mixture of shock and confusion. “I know I should have told you sooner, I’m sorry.”  
“Hillary…”  
“I’m going to keep the baby, obviously. I’d like for you to be involved with the baby even if we’re not together, it’s your child, too. But it's your choice. I’d be perfectly fine on my own. I don’t want to pressure you. I don’t need or want your money either so don’t worry about that. I’ll be fine.” Hillary shrugged. “You deserved to know, is all.”  
“Hillary…” Bill was in absolute shock. He didn’t know what to say.  
Hillary grabbed her purse from the chair beside her. She started standing up to leave.  
“Hillary, wait! We need to talk about this,” Bill finally said. “Don’t go.”  
“I just thought I should tell you about the baby. I have nothing else to say to you right now, Bill. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go pick up Jessica from daycare. Goodbye, Bill.” And with that she turned on her heel and left the cafe, leaving Bill stunned and speechless.  
* * * *  
The next day at work, Hillary was absolutely miserable. She fanned herself with the contract she was currently reviewing but it was in vain. Chicago was having a freak October heat wave and the office’s air conditioning system was malfunctioning on her firm’s floor. She couldn’t concentrate on any work and all she wanted to do was to be in her air conditioned apartment. Her hair was sticky with sweat and she felt like she was suffocating. The heat in Arkansas was nothing compared to this hell…  
“Are you okay, Hillary?” Her colleague and new officemate, Lena, asked her from her desk, across from Hillary’s. “You don’t look so well.”  
“I’m fine,” Hillary waved her arm to hopefully brush off Lena's concerns. “Just hot,” she chuckled.  
“Oh, God, I know,” Lena agreed, peeling off her blazer. “This is the worst. Hopefully maintenance can fix the AC system soon.”  
Hillary nodded in agreement, fanning herself slightly.  
“I’m going to go grab an iced coffee from downstairs, quickly. Do you want one?” Lena offered.  
“Uh...sure,” Hillary nodded. “Only if they have decaf though.”  
Decaf?” Lena chuckled. “What kind of a lawyer drinks decaf coffee?” Lena teased.  
Hillary chuckled in return. “I’m...uh, pregnant,” she admitted. She figured she was at the twelve week mark and it was safe to start telling people. She had already told Bill and she trusted Lena not to blab to any coworkers or to the firm's partners.  
“Seriously?” Lena raised her eyebrows and her eyes widened in surprise. “Congrats, Hillary.”  
Hillary weakly smiled, “Thanks.”  
“Maybe see if Matthew will let you work from home until the air conditioning is fixed?” Lena suggested. “This heat can’t be good for you or the baby. Just tell him you’re sick or something.”  
“Oh, I’m fine, really,” Hillary insisted. It was almost lunch time. She could power through the rest of the day, she decided. “But thanks.”  
“Suit yourself,” Lena shrugged, while grabbing her wallet from her purse. “I’m going to go get that coffee now. I’ll get you something decaf.”  
Hillary nodded and smiled, “Thanks.”  
Lena left and Hillary attempted to get back to her work. But she _really_ didn’t feel well. She was nauseous and sweaty and maybe Lena was right; maybe their boss _would_ let her work from home for the rest of the day. She figured he wouldn’t but it was worth a shot to at least ask…  
As she left her office and started walking down the hall to the managing partner’s office, she suddenly felt woozy. Her stomach was growling, too. She fanned herself with her right hand as she walked. She just had to make it a few more feet to her bosses office but her vision went blurry and everything started to fade…  
* * * *  
Bill was still reeling from what Hillary had told him the day before. He couldn’t believe he was going to be a father in just a few months. It made him hate himself even more for what he had done to Hillary. He felt so ashamed and now his child’s parents probably wouldn’t be together because of his actions. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around everything. He had tried to get work done all morning but he couldn’t concentrate. Too many things were swirling around in his mind. Hillary, the baby, the idea of impending fatherhood…The air conditioning situation wasn’t helping things either.  
He hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak to Hillary yet that day, they had both been so busy with work.  
He was trying to be productive and catch up on his mountain of paperwork that had accumulated while he was on his Leave Of Absence but it was futile. His head was swimming and it was sweltering hot inside the office.  
He was in the middle of signing documents when he suddenly heard a commotion out in the hallway and he saw people running down the hall.  
“What in the…” he muttered to himself before he went to see what the hell was going on. He started walking in the direction of where he saw a crowd of people forming, including Matthew, his boss...and his heart and stomach immediately sunk. He saw a familiar flash of mousy blonde hair and immediately realized who was unconscious, lying crumpled on the floor.  
“Oh my God! Hillary!” 

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me LOL. I'll try to update soon as to not leave you guys hanging for too long!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments and feedback on this story! I'm glad you're all still enjoying it. I was going to try to update every Sunday night but was feeling kind of blah because of quarantine and PMS this week so updating now. Writing this story and your comments are definitely a great distraction right now! :) Hope you enjoy the update!

_“Everything’s going to be okay, Hillary. Stay with me, sweetheart.” _

Hillary’s eyes fluttered open and and then closed again but she had no idea what was going on or where she was. Was that...Bill? And why was he stroking her hair? Everything was so loud and chaotic. She just wanted to sleep… 

_“Try to stay awake, Hillary, please. We’re almost at the hospital, sweetheart. Just hang on a few more minutes, you’re going to be okay, Hillary.” _

* * * * *  
Bill frowned as he stared at a sleeping Hillary. He squeezed her hand. She looked so tiny and fragile lying in a hospital bed. The doctors had run tests to try to figure out how and why she had passed out, in case there was an underlying issue besides the heat. She had been in and out of consciousness but she was still pretty loopy when she was awake. Bill was praying and hoping that Hillary and the baby would both be alright. 

* * * * *  
**HALF AN HOUR LATER**

Hillary felt something starchy and scratchy underneath her. Why was she in bed in the middle of the day?  
_This isn’t my bed at home…_ she realized. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet but there was an odd smell lingering in the air that she couldn’t quite place. She woke up and squinted. Was she in the hospital? She frowned as she slowly sat up, ignoring the shooting pain that ran through her head as she did so.  
“Oh, you’re awake!”  
Hillary looked to the left and saw Bill sitting in a chair beside the bed. He was gently stroking her hand with his thumb.  
“What happened?” Hillary frowned.  
“You passed out at work, Hillary,” Bill explained, squeezing her hand. “They’re giving you IV fluids and we’re waiting on your test results now.”  
“Don’t touch me,” Hillary snapped, pulling her hand away from Bill’s.  
Bill just sighed and nodded.  
“What about the baby?” Hillary protectively touched her stomach.  
“They still have to do an ultrasound,” Bill frowned.  
Hillary frowned and teared up. What if the baby was in danger? But there was no time to think about that because Dorothy and Jessica suddenly rushed into the room.  
“Mama!”  
“Hey, sweetheart!” Hillary quickly brushed away her tears, wanting to be strong for Jessica.  
Dorothy picked Jessica up and placed her next to Hillary in the bed.  
“Are you okay, mama?” Jessica nervously asked.  
“Mama’s going to be just fine,” Hillary assured her daughter, squeezing her tightly.  
“And Bill’s here!” Jessica realized, lighting up.  
“Yes, he is,” Hillary dryly said, gently stroking Jessica’s hair.  
Bill smiled, “Hi, Jessica. It’s very nice to see you again.”  
“Hi!” Jessica excitedly replied to him, flashing him a giant grin.  
But there was no time for Bill and Dorothy to be properly introduced before the doctor, a red-haired thirtysomething woman, came into the room.  
“Hi, Ms. Rodham. I’m Dr. Montgomery, I’m an ER resident. It’s good that you’re awake. I think I know what happened and why you passed out, if you have a few minutes to talk.”  
Hillary nodded, “Of course.” She looked down at Jessica. “How about you get Grandma to take you to the cafeteria for a snack?”  
“Yeah, come on, Jessie girl. Let’s go get a cookie,” Dorothy said, reaching to pick her up.  
“But I want to stay with Mama and Bill!” Jessica whined.  
“You can come back in a few minutes, I promise,” Hillary assured her daughter, tenderly kissing Jessica’s forehead.  
“Fine,” Jessica resignedly sighed, letting Dorothy scoop her up.  
Bill was about to follow suit and got up to leave.  
“Stay,” Hillary told him.  
“You sure?” Bill checked.  
Hillary nodded.  
Bill nodded in return and sat back down beside Hillary's bed. “So, what’s going on with Hillary, Doctor?”  
“Well, all your tests came back normal which is a good sign,” Dr. Montgomery started.  
Hillary nodded in agreement, slightly relieved.  
“What did you have to eat today, Hillary?” Dr. Montgomery asked her.  
“Just a strawberry banana smoothie. I overslept today and didn’t have time for something more substantial,” Hillary admitted, slightly looking down. “I didn’t have a chance to eat anything else today before I passed out.”  
“That’s it? You need to be taking better care of yourself. Especially now, Hillary,” Bill frowned.  
“I know,” Hillary frowned, feeling guilty.  
“And how have you been sleeping lately?” Dr. Montgomery asked.  
“Not so well,” Hillary admitted. “I’m exhausted from the pregnancy but I can’t sleep at night.”  
Bill frowned again and looked down at Hillary, concerned.  
“Well, Hillary, I think what happened was just a case of severe dehydration... Probably brought on by the combination of the heat, not drinking enough water, not getting enough sleep, and not eating enough today. That's why you passed out,” Dr. Montgomery explained.  
Hillary nodded, now feeling slightly embarrassed that she had ended up hooked up to an IV in the Emergency Room just because she didn’t eat a proper breakfast that day and she just needed a few hours of sleep.  
“And what about the baby?” Hillary nervously asked, subconsciously rubbing her stomach.  
“Yes, is the baby alright? My colleagues said she hit the ground pretty hard when she fainted,” Bill said.  
“There’s no bleeding or cramping?” Dr. Montgomery checked.  
Hillary shook her head, “No.”  
“I’ll get you an OB consult before you're discharged to make sure but the baby is probably fine. Let’s do an ultrasound to make sure,” Dr. Montgomery said.  
Hillary nervously nodded. Out of habit, she reached for Bill’s hand. He looked at her for confirmation and she nodded. Bill squeezed her hand while Dr. Montgomery got set up to do the ultrasound.  
“Sorry, this is going to be cold,” Dr. Montgomery apologized before squirting the gel on Hillary’s stomach.  
Hillary nodded yet still slightly winced at the coldness. But her biggest concern was whether the baby was alright or not.  
Both Bill and Hillary tensely looked at the monitor, waiting for news about their baby.  
“There it is,” Dr. Montgomery said after a few seconds, with a big smile. “The baby has a nice strong heartbeat." She let Bill and Hillary hear it.  
“Oh my God!” Hillary squealed at hearing the baby’s heartbeat for the first time.  
“Wow,” Bill said in awe.  
Bill and Hillary looked at each other with excited smiles and happy tears in their eyes. They were both filled with relief that the baby was healthy. Bill tightly squeezed Hillary’s hand reassuringly. Hillary smiled broadly at Bill but suddenly her smile dropped and she quickly let go of Bill’s hand. She had just gotten caught up in the moment.  
_Don’t do it, Hillary. You’re not letting him get back together with you just because you’re pregnant with his child_ she told herself in her head.  
“I’ll get you that OB consult still but the baby looks healthy and is developing right on track for twelve weeks,” Dr. Montgomery explained to Hillary. “We’ll finish giving you your course of IV fluids and then you can probably be discharged in an hour or so. Make sure you take it easy over the next couple of days and get plenty of fluids and rest. Especially today. And try to eat something if you feel up to it.”  
Hillary nodded, “Of course. Thank you so much, Dr. Montgomery.”  
Bill nodded, “Yes, thank you, Doctor. I’ll make sure she gets plenty of rest today.”  
* * * * *  
After Hillary had been discharged from the hospital and she had reluctantly let Bill join her, Dorothy and Jessica for a late lunch in the hospital cafeteria, they had all gone back to Hillary’s apartment to get Hillary settled.  
“You guys, I’m fine, stop hovering,” Hillary said to her mom and Bill as Dorothy led her inside the apartment.  
“I know, Hill, I just want to make sure you get settled in alright,” Dorothy said, taking Hillary’s purse and briefcase from her.  
“I can stay with Hillary and Jessica if you want,” Bill offered to Dorothy. “I don’t mind. You’ve done so much already today, Mrs. Rodham.”  
“Oh yeah! I want Bill to stay!” Jessica squealed, as she eagerly nodded. “Please, Mama?”  
Dorothy looked over to Hillary for her approval.  
Hillary bit her lip. She would have preferred her mom stay with her and Jessica but she knew Jessica was excited to be reunited with Bill again. She didn’t want to have to take Bill away from Jessica _again_. She knew that if Bill watched Jessica it would give her a few hours of peace and quiet to rest and hopefully get a few hours of sleep.  
“Yeah, Bill can stay, I guess,” Hillary reluctantly agreed. “Thanks for picking Jessica up from daycare and bringing her to the hospital, Mom. And thanks for all your help today. But I think Bill and I can take it from here.”  
“Well, I’ll help you get settled in bed,” Dorothy said to her daughter, since Hillary was still relatively weak. “You don’t mind watching Jessica, Bill?”  
Bill smiled, “Not at all.”  
Dorothy nodded and turned to Jessica. "Can you be a very good girl for Grandma and play quietly for a few hours while Mama rests?"  
Jessica sweetly nodded. "Yes, Grandma."  
Dorothy smiled, "Good girl. Why don't you get Bill to put on a movie for you?"  
"Okay!" Jessica happily agreed. "I love you lots, Mama. I hope you feel better soon."  
Hillary smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of Jessica's head. "I love you, too, baby girl. Be a good girl for Bill."  
Jessica nodded, "I will."  
While Hillary and Dorothy went to Hillary's bedroom, Jessica ran over to the living room TV and grabbed a VHS tape from the cabinet underneath the television set. She ran back over to Bill and handed him a copy of _Sleeping Beauty_. “I want to watch this, Bill!”  
Bill chuckled at her energy, “Sure, no problem, sweetheart.”  
He put his briefcase down on the dining room table and went over to the TV to put on the movie for Jessica.  
“I missed you so much, Bill!” Jessica announced.  
Bill softly smiled at her but Jessica saying that made him feel incredibly guilty for what he had done to her and Hillary. “I missed you, too, Jess.”  
“You missed my birthday, Bill,” Jessica said quietly. She frowned. “We were supposed to celebrate our birthdays together.”  
Bill sighed and frowned, “I know, Princess. I’m so sorry I had to miss your birthday party. I um...had a lot of work to do in Arkansas.”  
Jessica loudly sighed as she got comfortable on the couch. “It’s okay, I guess.”  
“So...you’re four now?” Bill remembered.  
Jessica nodded, as she picked up her favorite stuffed animal, a brown fluffy dog, and cuddled it close to her. “My party was soooooo much fun! Uncle Tony gave me that for my birthday!” she pointed to a Barbie dollhouse in the corner of the living room.  
“Well, that’s very cool,” Bill said, as he grabbed some paperwork from his briefcase and sat down on the couch with Jessica.  
“How was your birthday?” Jessica inquisitively asked him.  
“Oh, it was fine,” Bill chuckled, deciding she was too young to get the details. Besides this year after everything that had happened, he hadn't been in much of a celebrating mood. “Birthdays aren’t as much fun when you’re older.”  
“Oh,” Jessica frowned. “How old did you turn?”  
Bill chuckled and half-groaned, “Thirty-one.”  
Oh...that’s old!” Jessica exclaimed, giggling.  
Bill chuckled and playfully rolled his eyes. “Watch your movie, sweetheart.”  
Jessica giggled and paid attention to the movie. Bill and Jessica waved goodbye to Dorothy as they saw her leaving Hillary’s apartment before Bill started catching up on his paperwork. 

“Bill, I’m hungry,” Jessica announced a few minutes later.  
Bill laughed, “You just had macaroni and cheese for lunch.”  
“But I’m hungry again,” Jessica simply said as she shrugged. She looked at Bill expectantly and playfully pouted, batting her eyelashes.  
Bill chuckled to himself and shook his head. He could never say no to Jessica’s big brown eyes when she gave him that look. “Okay, I’ll go see what’s available in the kitchen.”  
Jessica grinned to herself.  
Bill got up and went into the kitchen. He started opening the cupboards to see what Hillary had on hand. He made a mental note to buy her some groceries later, noticing that the kitchen was a little more sparse than usual.  
_She must be too busy to grocery shop_ he realized. He sadly sighed at that thought, realizing her increased workload as of late was partly his fault.  
“How about a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Jess?” Bill called to her.  
“Ohhh, yes please!” He heard Jessica say in return.  
He made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one for Jessica and one for himself, and brought them into the living room.  
“Here you go, sweetie,” he passed Jessica her plate.  
“Thanks, Bill,” Jessica sweetly smiled at him.  
“No problem, Princess.”  
* * * * *  
A few hours later after Jessica had watched two Disney movies and Bill had been able to catch up on some of his paperwork, he checked the time.  
“It’s almost dinnertime, Jess,” Bill said as the credits on the movie she had been watching rolled. “Your mommy’s probably going to be hungry soon.”  
Jessica nodded, “I’m hungry again, too.”  
Bill nodded, “How about I order us a pizza?” He figured that was the easiest and most convenient option.  
“Ohh, yeah!” Jessica enthusiastically nodded. “And can we get the noodles with the white sauce, too?”  
“Noodles with the white sauce?” Bill frowned, not sure what Jessica was talking about at first until he figured out she meant Fettuccine Alfredo, which he remembered was Jessica’s favourite food. He nodded after he realized what she had meant. “Sure, we can get pasta, too.”  
“Yes!” Jessica excitedly said, pumping her little fist in the air.  
Bill smiled at her and went into the kitchen to grab the takeout menus while Jessica went in search of her mother.  
* * * * *  
Hillary yawned as she opened her eyes after she had felt the bed’s weight shift. How long had she been asleep for? She looked down and noticed that Jessica had crawled into bed with her.  
“Hi, mommy,” Jessica smiled up at her.  
Hillary weakly smiled, “Hi, baby.” She wrapped her arms around Jessica and gave her a gentle squeeze.  
“Are you feeling better, mama?” Jessica asked.  
Hillary nodded, “_A lot_ better.” That uninterrupted nap alone had done wonders for her, she realized. She still had some residual grogginess and exhaustion from being dehydrated earlier but she was already feeling loads better after getting a few hours of rest.  
Bill poked his head into the room and saw Hillary and Jessica cuddled up together. He softly smiled at the adorable sight. He cleared his throat, hating that he had to interrupt them.  
Hillary looked up. “Hi,” she awkwardly said.  
“Hey,” Bill gruffly said.  
Hillary looked over at the alarm clock on her nightstand and noticed what time it was. She hadn’t realized she had been asleep for so long. She sat up in bed. “I have to get dinner started…”  
“No, don’t get up, Hillary,” Bill urged, walking over to the side of the bed. “I took care of dinner. I ordered Italian. It should be here in a few minutes.”  
“Oh...thanks, Bill,” Hillary gratefully said.  
“Are you ready to eat?” Bill asked her.  
Hillary nodded, realizing that she had woken up feeling pretty hungry.  
Bill nodded and reached for her hand.  
Hillary reluctantly took it and let Bill help her out of bed. Hillary and Jessica followed Bill into the kitchen to get ready for dinner. 

To Be Continued…


	15. Chapter 15

After Bill, Hillary, and Jessica had all eaten dinner and Hillary had given Jessica a bath, Jessica had fallen asleep on the couch while the three of them watched a movie together. After Hillary had tucked her into bed, Bill had insisted that he should spend the night at Hillary’s apartment...on the couch of course...in order to be able to keep an eye on Hillary. Hillary had caved and reluctantly agreed to it since she didn’t mind having the second set of hands around to help out with Jessica. While Bill had gone to his apartment to take a shower and pack an overnight bag, and Jessica was sound asleep, Hillary decided to take advantage of the quiet apartment. She had taken a nice long, hot, relaxing shower, done a face mask, and was now lounging on the living room couch reading a book. She couldn’t remember the last time she had had time to read for pleasure, it had been weeks.   
Her reading was interrupted a few minutes later by a soft knocking on the door.   
_That must be Bill_ she realized as she closed her book and went to let him in.   
“Hey,” Bill grinned when she opened the door. “Sorry that that took me a while. I picked up some groceries for you, too.”   
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, Bill,” Hillary said, letting him into the apartment. “I was going to go grocery shopping soon,” she looked down, feeling slightly embarrassed.   
“It was no trouble,” Bill shrugged and gave her a reassuring smile.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said quietly, softly smiling back at Bill as they began putting the groceries away together.   
“I got all of your and Jessica’s favourites,” Bill smiled, as he put a carton of chocolate ice cream in the freezer. “What have you been up to?”   
“I took a shower and then I was just reading,” Hillary answered, yawning. “I know I was sleeping all afternoon but I think I need to head to bed soon.”  
“Of course, Hillary. You should go to bed. You need to rest,” Bill reassured her. “I’m glad you got some time to relax this evening.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I’ll just make up the couch for you first.”  
“I can handle that,” Bill assured her. “Just tell me where the linens are.”   
“There’s some clean bedding in the hallway closet,” Hillary said. “I’ll bring you a pillow from my bed.”   
“Thanks, Hill.” 

* * * ** 

After making sure that Bill was settled in the living room for the night, Hillary had gone to bed. Except...her pregnancy insomnia had struck again and that long nap she had taken earlier in the afternoon probably hadn’t helped either. She was physically tired but mentally, she couldn’t shut her brain off to go to sleep. With a frustrated sigh, she decided to go get a glass of water and to see if Bill was still awake.   
As she walked into the living room, she saw that Bill was awake and was watching a baseball game on TV.   
“Hey,” he said when he noticed Hillary walking into the living room.   
“Hey,” Hillary echoed, as she walked through the living room, to the kitchen. She got her glass of water and then opened her fridge to see if she had anything to offer Bill to drink. “Do you want a beer?” she called out to Bill. “I have some leftover from before I got pregnant.”   
Bill shrugged, “Sure, I’ll take a beer.”   
“Great,” Hillary said, bringing their respective drinks over to the couch.   
“Can’t sleep?” Bill asked, as Hillary sat down on the couch beside him.   
Hillary shook her head. “Can we just talk for a bit? Maybe that’ll relax me?”   
Bill nodded, “Sure, of course.”   
Hillary nodded, “Thanks.”  
“Remember in Arkansas when Jessica couldn't sleep so we would all watch baseball together until she passed out?” Bill nostalgically smiled at the memory.   
Hillary weakly smiled. “I remember.” The memory was bittersweet for her, considering what had happened on that vacation. “Thanks for staying up all those nights watching sports with Jessica when she wouldn’t go to bed.”   
“Oh, it was no trouble,” Bill shrugged. “She’s a great kid.”   
Hillary nodded. "She is," she agreed.   
“Jessica is such a sweetheart,” Bill commented, taking a swig of his beer. “You two are lucky to have each other.”   
“Sometimes I can’t believe she’s mine because she’s too sweet to be my kid,” Hillary quietly chuckled.   
Bill chuckled in return.   
“I’m serious,” Hillary laughed.   
“What? Why? You’re sweet,” Bill pointed out.   
“I don’t think so,” Hillary blushed and shook her head.   
“Well you are,” Bill shrugged. “Does she know about the baby yet?” He asked curiously.   
Hillary shook her head. “I _think_ she knows something’s up because she’s seen me throwing up a few times and of course, what happened today. But no, I haven’t told her yet. I guess I’ll tell her some time this week. She’s going to figure it out sooner rather than later if I don’t.”  
Bill nodded. “She’s going to be so excited.”  
Hillary nodded and smiled. “I know... God, the day she was born was the happiest day of my life.”   
Bill smiled in return “I bet.” He took a sip of his beer and sighed. “I wish I had known you then.”   
Hillary sighed as well, “Yeah, me, too,” she said quietly.   
“Who was with you when she was born? Was Nick there?” Bill asked curiously. They had never discussed Jessica’s birth before.   
Hillary scoffed and tried not to laugh too loudly since she didn’t want to accidentally wake up Jessica. “Hell, no. I tried calling him when my contractions started but he wasn’t answering and he wouldn't return my calls. He didn’t end up meeting Jessica until a day or two after she was born.”   
Bill frowned, “Oh.”   
Hillary sighed and shrugged, “It is what it is.”   
“Well, was your mom with you at least?” Bill asked, a hopeful tone to his voice.   
Hillary shook her head. “Jessica was two weeks early. I was still _so_ unprepared for her impending arrival. My mom was supposed to fly to Connecticut the following week to be there for the birth but then my water broke really suddenly and everything happened so fast. My mom got a flight as fast as she could but it was delayed because of a thunderstorm,” Hillary lightly chuckled.   
“So...you were alone?” Bill realized, frowning.   
Hillary shrugged, “Yeah. Except for my OB and the nurses.”   
“Oh, wow…” Bill frowned, saddened to realize that she had had to give birth to Jessica all by herself.   
“It wasn’t _that_ bad,” Hillary reassured him, seeing the sadness in his eyes. “Once the epidural kicked in, I felt fine. There were some complications and I needed a C-section eventually but other than that, it wasn’t so bad. The nurses did their best to keep me company and I was even able to get some studying for the bar exam in.”   
“Wait, you _studied_ for the bar exam while you were in labor?” Bill asked, lightly chuckling. He gave her an amused smile.   
Hillary shrugged again, “Yeah. Like I said, the epidural did wonders.”   
“Wow, you are even stronger than I thought,” Bill was even more impressed with Hillary than he already was.   
Hillary just shrugged again like it was no big deal. “That first night, I just stayed awake all night, staring at her in wonder.” She smiled nostalgically as she remembered that night.   
“Aww,” Bill smiled.   
“It was probably stupid and I was completely exhausted the next day but...it felt right,” Hillary said quietly, her voice catching with emotion slightly.   
“I don’t think that’s stupid,” Bill replied in almost a whisper. “It’s sweet.”   
They softly looked at each other. “I won’t leave you alone,” Bill said quietly. “I mean...when you give birth,” he added, slightly hesitating. “I want to be in the delivery room with you when this baby is born,” he whispered.   
“Oh,” Hillary nodded. She took that as a good sign that even if they weren’t together romantically, he still wanted to be involved in their child’s life. “Yeah, of course I want you there when he or she is born.”   
Bill just nodded, not knowing what else to say. He wanted desperately to touch her, to squeeze her hand, to rub her back, or rub her belly which had his child inside of it but he resisted. He didn’t think Hillary wanted that from him at that moment. Even though it had been three months since he slept with Cassie, he knew for Hillary, the wounds were still raw.   
At the same time, Hillary wanted nothing more than to hug and kiss Bill in that moment but she knew she couldn’t take him back that easily, just like that. Just because they had had one nice day together. One nice day didn't change anything. She cleared her throat and finished her water.   
“Um, I think I’ll try and get some sleep now,” Hillary said awkwardly, the romantic and tender moment that had just happened between them disappearing as fast as it had come.   
“Um, yeah, we should probably both try to get some rest,” Bill cleared his throat. “I’ll see you in the morning, I guess.”   
“See you in the morning, Bill.”   
* * * * *   
Bill had been sound asleep when all of a sudden he heard strange noises somewhere in the background. Was he dreaming? He slowly opened his eyes and as he became aware of his surroundings, he realized he had spent the night on Hillary’s couch. And the weird noises he heard were Hillary throwing up in the bathroom. He peeled his blankets off, slowly got up off the couch, stretched out his stiff muscles and went to see what was going on. He stood in the doorway to the bathroom and saw Hillary crouched over the toilet, having a bout of morning sickness.   
“Hey, you’re okay,” he quietly soothed, coming up behind her, pulling her hair back for her. “It’s going to be okay.”   
“I’m...fine,” Hillary insisted in between dry heaves.   
“How long have you been like this for?” Bill asked her.   
Hillary shrugged, “Maybe half an hour or so?”  
Bill frowned, feeling guilty that he hadn’t woken up earlier. “You should have woken me up. I wouldn’t have minded.”  
“I’m fine,” Hillary repeated, wiping her mouth with a damp washcloth. “I think it's finally passing anyways.” She reached her arm out for Bill to help her up off the floor and Bill obliged by pulling her up.   
“Thanks,” Hillary said.   
“No problem,” Bill said, as he grabbed an empty glass that was on the bathroom counter and got Hillary some water to drink. “Here, take small sips.”  
Hillary nodded.   
“Do you want breakfast? Can you eat?” Bill asked her.   
“Maybe some toast?” Hillary answered with a shrug.   
Bill nodded, “I can make you toast. No problem.”   
Hillary nodded and started following Bill to the kitchen. “Thanks.”   
“Do you want anything else? I don’t mind cooking you and Jessica breakfast,” Bill said.   
“Just make anything else _but _eggs. The smell makes me sick,” Hillary informed him.   
Bill nodded, “No eggs. Got it. How about pancakes?”  
“Sure,” Hillary half-smiled. “Jessica loves your pancakes.”   
Bill softly smiled, “I know.”   
Hillary just nodded and put on a pot of coffee while Bill busied himself making breakfast.   
“A girl could get used to this,” she smirked a few minutes later when Bill brought over to her a plate with two slices of toast and raspberry jam.   
Bill chuckled, “I try.”   
“Thanks, Bill,” Hillary said.   
“No problem,” Bill assured her as he started mixing the batter for the pancakes.   
“I have to tell you,” Hillary said in between bites of toast. “You’ve already treated me better in one day than Nick treated me the whole nine months I was pregnant with Jessica.”   
Bill was about to respond when Jessica ran into the kitchen.   
“Good morning!” she happily squealed.   
“Good morning, Kitty Cat!” Hillary grinned as Jessica crawled into Hillary’s lap and wrapped her arms around her mom's neck. She gave Hillary a sweet peck on the cheek.   
“And good morning, Bill,” Jessica sweetly said, happy to see that he was still there.   
“Good morning, Princess,” Bill smiled at her.   
“Guess what? Bill’s making his famous pancakes just for you, baby girl,” Hillary said, kissing Jessica’s forehead.   
“Awesome!” Jessica squealed.   
Bill and Hillary chuckled at her.   
“Are you going to work today, Mommy?” Jessica asked.   
Hillary shook her head. “I took the rest of the week off to rest. I’ll be staying home for the next few days.”   
“Yes!” Jessica squealed happily. “So, I don’t have to go to daycare this week?”   
Hillary shook her head again. “No, baby girl. You can stay home with mommy if you want.”   
“Yes!” Jessica squealed again, excited to spend more time with her mom.   
“I think I’m going to call in sick today, too,” Bill decided.   
Hillary sighed, “No, Bill. You should go into the office. You just got back from a long leave of absence. Jessica and I will be fine.”   
Bill shrugged, “I have a meeting at four today that I can’t miss but the rest of the day can be moved around. I’ll catch up on everything I missed tomorrow. I’d rather spend the day with you guys.”   
“Can we all do something fun together?” Jessica asked excitedly.   
“If your mommy is up to it,” Bill looked at Hillary for approval. “It’s supposed to cool back down today. It should be a nice day outside.”   
“Can we go to the park with Bill today, Mommy?” Jessica asked Hillary, staring up at her mom.   
“How are you feeling today, Hillary?” Bill asked her. “Are you up for a trip to the park?”   
“I feel fine now, actually,” Hillary realized. Her nausea had subsided. “I don’t see why we can’t go to the park after breakfast.”   
“Okay!” Jessica squealed excitedly.   
Bill and Hillary chuckled at her excitement as Bill put a plate of pancakes in front of her.   
* * * * *  
After they had all finished eating breakfast and gotten dressed and ready for the day, they hit the road for the park. Bill had offered to drive them to a better park in a nicer neighborhood a few blocks away from the park that was in Hillary’s neighbourhood.   
“Go play, honey,” Hillary urged Jessica after she had unbuckled Jessica and helped her out of the car.   
Jessica happily nodded and ran off towards the playground. Bill and Hillary sat down on a bench so they could keep an eye on her while she played.   
“What’s on your mind, Hillary?” Bill asked, noticing the fraught expression on her face as she watched Jessica running around. “You look worried.”  
“Well, let’s see,” Hillary replied, with a slightly harsher tone than she had intended to use. “I have to find and move into a larger and nicer apartment, I have to carry a baby, I have to get everything ready for said baby’s arrival. Oh, and I have to, y’know, _give birth_ to a baby. All in about six months.” She glared at Bill, suddenly feeling slightly angry that he had put her in this predicament, even though she knew it was partly her fault too for not being as careful as she could have been.   
Bill nodded, understanding why she was rightfully anxious and probably (even though she tried to hide it) slightly scared. “Well…” he began. “I have a proposition for you, Hillary.”  
“A proposition?” Hillary raised her right eyebrow. “And what would that be?”  
“Well...I’m planning to run for Congress in Arkansas,” Bill explained. “But I still want to be there for you and the baby. In whatever way you’ll let me,” he assured.   
“And how are you going to do that from Arkansas if I’m in Chicago?” Hillary asked, totally confused as to what he was getting to.   
“Well, before I found out about the baby, I was talking to some of my friends in Little Rock a couple of days ago. Their law firm is looking for a new associate right now to run the litigation department. It’s a partner track position, you’d make partner in no time. Anyways, when they were asking me if I knew anyone who might be interested, I thought that you’d be the perfect person for the job. I gave them your name and they’d love to discuss the position over the phone with you and for you to send your resume over. I’m not saying you have to make a decision right away about moving to Arkansas but...just give it some thought.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Hillary. "Give them a call. They would be thrilled to hear from you."   
Hillary looked at the simple and professional looking business card in her hand and read the name of the firm. _Rose Law Firm. _  
She started playing with the card in her hand, and thinking about what Bill had just said.   
“Bill!” Jessica suddenly ran over to them. “Will you push me on the swings, Bill?” Jessica sweetly asked.   
Bill smiled and stood up. “Of course I will, sweetie. Come on.” He reached for her hand which Jessica happily took. Before he walked away with Jessica he turned back around to look at Hillary and nodded towards the business card in her hand.   
“Like I said, just give it some thought, Hillary.” 

To Be Continued…


	16. Chapter 16

A week later, an exhausted Hillary, dragging her suitcase behind her, walked up the front steps to her childhood home and let herself in knowing her mom had left the door unlocked for her. The house was dark, still and quiet. She assumed her dad and Jessica were in bed but she saw a lamp on in the living room. Her mom must have waited up for her. She had had a crazy past couple of days, including a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas to interview for the associate position at The Rose Law Firm. She figured if Bill was serious about wanting to move to Arkansas and run for Congress, she should at least consider her options if she wanted Bill to be a part of their child's life.   
“How did everything go, honey?”   
Her mom’s voice broke Hillary out of her thoughts.   
She left her suitcase in the front foyer and entered the living room, where her mom had been reading on the couch.   
Hillary shrugged and sat down beside her mother. “It was okay, I think. I just missed my most favourite little girl in the world.” Hillary weakly smiled to herself.   
Dorothy chuckled and gently rubbed Hillary’s back. “She missed you like crazy, too.” Those past few days had definitely been the longest Hillary and Jessica had ever been separated for since Jessica was born.   
“I had hoped to get home before she went to bed,” Hillary frowned. “Sorry that my flight got delayed.”  
“Oh, honey, that’s not your fault. It’s no trouble to keep her one more night. You know that,” Dorothy assured her daughter. “Your dad and I loved babysitting her these past couple of days.”   
Hillary nodded. “She was well behaved?”   
Dorothy nodded in return, “She always is.”   
Hillary nodded again and gave her mom a relieved look, “Good.”   
“So, the interview was just okay?” Dorothy quietly asked.   
“Actually...it went great,” Hillary admitted. “Better than I could have imagined. I think I might get an offer actually.”   
“That’s fantastic, Hillary!” Dorothy’s face lit up but her daughter’s lack of enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed. “Why aren’t you more excited, sweetheart? This is good news, isn’t it?”   
“I just have so much on my mind, mama,” Hillary explained, sighing. “I already upended Jessica’s life once by leaving New York and coming to Chicago. I don’t know if I want to uproot her again so quickly. Plus, if I get the job and we have to move to Arkansas, everything will have to be done so quickly. I can’t fly during the third trimester so there’d be so much to do in such a short amount of time…”   
“Oh, honey,” Dorothy eyes crinkled in sympathy with her daughter, as she cut off Hillary’s nervous rambling. She reassuringly rubbed Hillary’s back. “Jessica will be fine. Kids are resilient and she hasn’t even started school yet. Second of all, you haven’t officially gotten the job yet and if you do, you’ll figure it out. I know you will. You always do. You know that I am happy to help you move and get settled in if necessary. And hey, didn’t you always say you dreamed of Jessica being raised in a cute house in a nice neighborhood, with a yard?”   
Hillary lightly shrugged, “Yeah.”   
“So, what’s the problem, dear?” Dorothy softly smiled at her daughter.   
Hillary quietly chuckled, “You’re right, mom. You’re _always_ right.”   
Dorothy smirked and gave Hillary a sly smile, “I know.”   
Hillary quietly chuckled.   
“Now you’ve had a long day, Hillary. Get some sleep. You can stay here tonight and see Jessica in the morning.”   
Hillary nodded in agreement. “I’m not going to argue with that plan.”   
* * * * *  
It was a few days after her job interview in Arkansas and Hillary was feeling restless. Jessica was over at Dorothy and Hugh’s again for her weekly sleepover with them and the apartment felt too quiet without Jessica’s presence. Jessica slept over at her grandparent’s house all the time so Hillary couldn’t quite place why this night felt different. She had tried watching TV and reading to distract herself but nothing was working. Despite the peacefulness of having the apartment to herself, she couldn’t concentrate or focus on anything. She felt unsettled and frenzied. Usually she would call Melissa or Betsy in one of these instances for some company but there was another number she was trying to talk herself out of dialing. She was about to try Betsy when suddenly her fingers were dialing another familiar number. That number she had been trying to resist calling but she just couldn't help herself. When there wasn’t an answer on his landline at home, she tried another number.   
“Bill Clinton.” A familiar southern drawl filled her ears after one or two rings.   
“Hey...it’s me. Hillary. You’re working late,” Hillary remarked.   
“Oh, Hillary. Hi.” Bill replied. “Yeah, I’m still playing catch up over here. Is everything okay? Do you need anything? Is the baby alright?”   
“Oh, the baby’s fine,” Hillary assured Bill, gently rubbing the tiniest hint of a baby bump that she currently had. “I was just bored. And lonely,” she admitted. “Jessica’s sleeping over at her grandparents tonight.”   
“I could come over,” Bill offered. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. “I mean...if you want me to,” he backtracked.   
“Yeah...okay,” Hillary nervously swallowed. She wouldn’t mind the company she realized.   
“Okay, great,” Bill said. He nodded to himself. “Let me wrap some things up over here and I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes or so.”  
“See you then,” Hillary said before hanging up.   
She went into her bathroom to freshen up. She knew Bill didn’t care if she wore makeup or not and what clothes she had on but nevertheless, she still changed out of her pajamas and into sweats and an old Yale sweatshirt, brushed her hair and switched her glasses out for her contact lenses. She had gone back to watching television when she heard a light knocking at the front door and went to answer it.   
“Hey,” she greeted after opening the door and seeing Bill standing there.   
“Hey,” Bill echoed her greeting. He softly smiled at Hillary while holding up a brown paper takeout bag in his right hand. “Have you eaten yet? I brought Chinese.”   
“Perfect. I ate dinner earlier but I’m already hungry again,” Hillary admitted as she let Bill inside the apartment.   
“Well, you’re eating for two now,” Bill lightly teased with a jovial glint in his eyes.   
Hillary chuckled at that while she went to the kitchen to get plates and cutlery.   
“So, a little birdie told me that your interview at The Rose Law Firm went _really_ well,” Bill said with a smile when Hillary came back to the living room.   
Hillary nodded and shrugged as she set the coffee table, “I think they liked me.”   
“Well, you didn’t hear it from me but I think they more than just liked you,” Bill replied, as he started scooping fried rice onto his plate.   
“Oh,” was all Hillary could say. She nodded. She knew Bill wasn’t allowed to confirm anything based on his conversations with the managing partner, and that they were still considering other candidates besides Hillary but Bill’s statement did imply good news. She would have to wait a few more days for confirmation.   
“I even saw a really cute house for sale near the airport,” Hillary casually remarked, as they started eating.   
Bill nodded as he changed the channel from the sitcom Hillary had been watching to a basketball game. "That's nice." 

They ate in comfortable silence while they watched the basketball game together, cheering occasionally when the Chicago Bulls scored. Hillary had to admit, she was enjoying the company and it felt like old times between them again. Maybe they could be friends and co-parent together after all.   
She looked over at Bill. “Hold on, you have a bit of sauce…” she reached over with a napkin and tenderly rubbed the residue from their dinner off the corner of his mouth.  
Bill chuckled, “Thanks, Hill.”   
“No problem,” Hillary sweetly smiled at him.   
Bill suddenly gave her a deep, intense look. And before she knew what was happening, on impulse she leaned forward and covered his lips with hers.   
Bill was slightly taken by surprise by this gesture but he deepened the kiss. Hillary sucked on his bottom lip with a sense of passion and urgency as she felt a familiar sense of desire swirling between her thighs. Just as their tongues started intertwining Bill pulled away.   
“Bill—”   
“No, Hillary,” Bill sat up straighter. “We should talk. Before we go any further.”   
Hillary nodded and sighed. “Right,” she said, as she stared down at her hands. She was aroused and her pregnancy hormones were making her feel extremely amorous but she knew that Bill was right. He had apologized for the cheating but they still had a long way to go before she could take him back. She couldn’t get back together with him just like that, no matter how aroused she was at that moment.   
“I didn’t have the best childhood as you know,” Bill began.   
Hillary nodded and listened.   
“My stepfather had a drinking problem and was abusive towards my mother and my brother. I had to protect them from him. I threatened him and got into fights with him more than a few times.”   
Hillary frowned and squeezed Bill’s hand.   
“I didn’t really grow up with a good example of what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like,” Bill admitted. “I’m scared of commitment. Before I met you, meaningless relationships that were just sex were all I really knew how to be in. So, when I have second thoughts or doubts, and I’m stressed out...I cheat.”   
“And what were you stressed out and having second thoughts about when we were together?” Hillary frowned, wanting to get to the root of the problem.   
“I don’t know,” Bill sighed. “Everything was just starting to feel _real_, you know? Especially with you and Jessica living in my house. I had never had that before. We weren’t just having an office fling anymore. I had had girlfriends before but never one I felt as seriously about as I did you.” He paused for a moment and thought carefully about what to say next before he continued. And I think I was scared of being a father. I love Jessica _so much_ that I was terrified of screwing things up between us and hurting her. So much so that I decided to self-sabotage everything, I guess. I’m _so_ sorry, Hillary. I know I shouldn’t have cheated but I guess I figured if I didn’t cheat, I was just going to mess something else up and lose you another way,” Bill admitted, near tears.   
“Oh, Bill,” Hillary was trying to hold back her tears as well. She tightly squeezed his hand. “You’re not your stepfather, Bill,” she firmly reassured him. “You’re an excellent father figure to Jessica. The _best_.” Her voice broke slightly. “She loves and adores you _so much_. I know you would never hurt her physically. And you're going to be a fantastic father to this baby,” she rubbed her stomach.   
Bill just nodded as he broke down into tears. "I'm so sorry for everything I did to you and Jessica, Hillary," he sobbed.   
The dam finally broke for Hillary as well as she let her tears fall.   
“I think I’m going to go to counselling,” Bill decided, realizing how much pain he had buried and bottled up over the years as he had distracted himself from that pain and hurt with work and women.   
“Yeah, that would be good,” Hillary said quietly, gently rubbing his back. “That would be a step in the right direction.”   
Bill managed to nod and wipe his eyes.   
“Come on, let’s get some sleep,” Hillary said softly as she brushed away her own tears. It had been a long night for the both of them and they were both emotionally spent after the conversation they had just had. “I’m just going to clean up a bit but I’ll meet you in the bedroom in a few minutes.”   
* * * * *   
The next morning, Hillary looked over at a still sleeping Bill and smiled to herself. She had let him share her bed with her. They hadn’t had sex and instead they had just talked, kissed, and cuddled but it had been nice. Hillary wasn’t in a rush to fully take him back just yet but he had promised to her to be a better man going forward. He wanted to be better for Jessica, for Hillary, for their baby, but most importantly, for himself. Hillary was relieved that he was willing to go to therapy and start working on his intimacy issues.   
Bill opened his eyes and noticed Hillary staring at him. “Hey,” he sleepily smiled at her. "Good morning, beautiful."   
“Good morning,” Hillary softly smiled over at him as she cuddled up closer to him.   
It was a _very_ good morning indeed.   
* * * * *  
Despite the night before and how amazing and magical it was, Bill and Hillary still had to go to work that day. Hillary missed sharing an office with Bill but at least she knew he was just down the hall and only a phone call away. She was busy reviewing a brief for one of her cases and taking notes when her phone rang. She smiled to herself when she saw it was Bill’s line.   
“Hey!” She answered happily.  
“Hi!” Bill replied, equally as happy to hear her voice.   
“Are you calling about lunch?” Hillary asked. “Maybe we could try that new Mexican place down the street that just opened—”   
“Yeah, lunch sounds good,” Bill cut her off. “I’ll eat anything. But actually, I was calling for a different reason.”   
“Oh?” Hillary said intrigued, wondering if he needed help on a case.   
“You know that cute house for sale in Little Rock that you mentioned liking?”   
“Uh-huh,” Hillary raised an eyebrow and took off her glasses, not sure where Bill was going with this.   
“I put an offer on it.”   
“What?” Hillary wasn’t quite sure she had heard him correctly. “You did what?”   
“I made an offer on that house for sale in Little Rock. The cute house near the airport.” 

To Be Continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just HAD to include elements of one of my favorite real life Billary stories in this hehe. Hope you all enjoyed the update and I'll try to write and post the next one soon. I should be wrapping this one up shortly with another chapter or two left.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually couldn't wait to update and share the rest of this story with you...and then I ended up having internet issues at home for over 24 hours. Haha. Of course. But we're back! Hope you enjoy the update! :)

Hillary had been right. From the moment she officially got offered the associate position at The Rose Law Firm and Bill’s offer on the house in Little Rock had been accepted, everything else had happened so quickly. Bill and Hillary had swiftly written and given their letters of resignation to the managing partner at Simmons, Miller, and Associates. Their bosses were sad to see them go but ultimately understanding. Because they wanted to move before Hillary was too far along in her pregnancy to fly, they had quickly gotten down to business packing up their respective apartments and making moving arrangements. Hillary had been able to find someone to sublet her apartment until the lease ran out, while Bill had put his Chicago penthouse and his previous property in Arkansas up for sale.   
Even though they were moving into their new house in Arkansas together, they were still taking things slow and working on re-building the trust that had been lost. Hillary was happy and relieved that Bill had been working hard in therapy and had made great strides already over the past few weeks. 

Hillary was five months pregnant and it was officially moving day. Hillary was grateful that her parents had decided to come to Little Rock for a few days to help out with the move and with Jessica. Hugh was currently in Jessica’s new bedroom putting together her new bed frame while Dorothy was unpacking the kitchen stuff and keeping an eye on Jessica who was sitting at the kitchen table, happily coloring.   
“Hillary, you should be relaxing,” Bill urged as he saw her walking into the house carrying a box of Jessica’s toys. “Your parents and I have got this. Sit down,” he encouraged, looking up from the bookcases he was currently busy assembling.   
“Oh, Bill,” Hillary chuckled. She shook her head as she walked down the hall and deposited the box in Jessica’s room. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” she said to Bill when she came back to the living room. “I can handle moving a couple of boxes,” she added, getting ready to make another trip out to the moving truck.   
Bill shook his head at Hillary’s stubbornness and let her go get another box. He knew there was no way he could convince her to sit down and relax.   
“I can’t wait to christen our new house later,” Bill said to Hillary upon her return back inside. He smirked at her.   
“Bill!” Hillary hissed putting down the box of living room odds and ends she had been carrying. “Jessica’s right over there!” She hissed.   
Bill looked in the direction of the kitchen where Jessica was still happily drawing and coloring pictures. “She didn’t hear anything. She's coloring.”   
“You’re impossible,” Hillary smirked and chuckled, shaking her head at her boyfriend. “But yes, I _can’t wait_ to break in our new bed later,” she whispered, playfully wiggling her eyebrows. Her and Bill smirked at each other.   
“I can’t wait either,” Bill excitedly said with a grin, as he imagined what the night had in store for them after they put Jessica to bed.   
“I finished drawing you a picture, mommy!” Jessica squealed, running over to Bill and Hillary, interrupting them.   
“Aww, that’s very pretty, kitty cat,” Hillary complimented, looking at it. She smiled to herself when she realized Jessica had drawn a picture of the three of them. She blinked away the tears that had suddenly pricked at her eyelids.   
_Damn pregnancy hormones_ she thought to herself.   
“See, mommy? We’re a family,” Jessica sweetly smiled. “And there’s the baby in your tummy,” Jessica pointed to where she had drawn a scribbly arrow pointed to Hillary’s stomach.  
Hillary chuckled, “That’s very cute, sweetheart. As soon as Grandma unpacks the fridge magnets, we’ll put it up on the fridge, okay?”   
“Okay!” Jessica beamed proudly. She touched Hillary’s stomach which by now, had definitely popped and she had a cute little baby bump. “And how is the baby today, mama?”   
“The baby is great,” Hillary answered, smiling down at Jessica.   
“Good!” Jessica squealed.   
Bill and Hillary looked up and smiled at each other. They loved how excited Jessica was about having a baby sibling on the way and getting to become a big sister.   
“Can we go to the park?” Jessica sweetly asked Bill, smiling up at him.   
“Hmmm, I don’t know about that,” Bill frowned, knowing they still had a lot of unpacking to get done that afternoon. “Maybe see if your grandma or Pop Pop can take you?”   
“No, you two should take her,” Dorothy said, coming into the living room. “Poor thing has been cooped up inside all morning. It’s a beautiful day outside. You all need some fresh air. Let her burn off some energy and I’ll make some sandwiches for lunch while you’re gone.”   
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Hillary said, nodding knowing they could use the break from moving and unpacking. “I wouldn’t mind going for a walk myself. I’ll take her.”   
“I’ll come,” Bill agreed, also nodding.   
“Great,” Hillary smiled as she helped Jessica put her coat and shoes on. 

They let Jessica walk slightly ahead of them as the three of them walked down the street to the park. Hillary and Bill held hands and occasionally exchanged loving glances and smiles at each other. It was a chilly and slightly windy day but the sun was shining.   
Jessica ran towards the playground when they got to the park while Bill and Hillary decided to walk a few laps around the park's perimeter as they kept an eye on Jessica. Bill reached into his pocket and grasped the small square shaped velvet box he had been carrying around for weeks. Hillary had gotten distracted looking at a cluster of flowers and he realized now was his chance.   
“Bill?” Hillary turned around when she realized he wasn’t walking alongside her anymore. She saw Bill had gotten down on one knee and was looking at her expectantly.   
“Bill, what are you doing?” Hillary asked, walking the few steps back over to where Bill was. Her stomach was suddenly in knots. “What’s going on?” She stared at Bill with wide eyes.   
“Hillary Diane Rodham,” Bill smiled brightly up at her. He presented her with the princess cut diamond engagement ring he had picked out for her several weeks prior. It wasn’t a large or gaudy diamond. It was a simple ring by engagement ring standards; he knew Hillary wouldn’t have wanted anything too flashy or extravagant. It was a simple yet pretty ring that Bill knew would match Hillary’s personality and style perfectly. “Hillary Rodham, will you make me the happiest man alive and become my wife?” 

* * * * *

Hillary didn’t say yes to Bill’s proposal right away. She took a few days to think it over and seriously consider it. Even though she was pregnant with his child and they had a house together, she knew marrying Bill was a major life decision and she didn’t want to take a decision like that lightly. She had a lot of things to take into consideration before she could accept his proposal but ultimately she had decided to follow her heart. She couldn’t live without Bill and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She wanted to raise their child together as a family. And she wanted him to be Jessica’s stepfather officially and for him to be in Jessica’s life forever.   
A month after moving in together, a few days after New Year’s Eve, they had had a small wedding ceremony at the house. Neither of them wanted a big wedding so they just had a simple ceremony in the living room of their new house with Jessica, their parents, siblings, Melissa, Betsy, and a few other close friends and family members in attendance. It had been the most perfect day ever and Hillary was an absolutely beautiful bride. She had gone dress shopping with her mom the night before and picked out an elegant but simple long-sleeved Victorian style wedding dress with lace detailing that perfectly draped over her pregnant belly. 

Luckily the weather that day had cooperated and they had set up space heaters around the yard so they were able to have a beautiful backyard reception with more friends and family in attendance.   
“She asleep?” Bill asked Hillary as she walked across the yard over to where Bill was standing with some of his friends on the makeshift dance floor after she had gotten back from putting Jessica to bed.   
Hillary nodded and smiled. “Poor thing didn’t want to go to sleep and have to miss the rest of the party but she was exhausted. All that dancing wore her out.”   
The party was winding down but there were still a few guests scattered around the backyard, drinking, dancing and milling about.   
Bill smiled as he wrapped his arms around Hillary’s waist. “Today has been the best day ever.”   
“It really has been,” Hillary agreed, softly smiling up at Bill as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Bill’s shoulders with her baby bump in between them as they gently swayed back and forth to Van Morrison’s _Moondance_ playing in the background. She stood up on her tippy toes to give Bill a quick peck on the lips. It was definitely not the circumstances either one of them ever thought they’d be getting married under or a wedding either ever imagined having but they both knew that it was the perfect wedding for them as a couple. Life was as perfect as it could possibly be for the both of them in that current moment.   
Bill happily smiled down at his bride. “Thank you for becoming my wife. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you and Jessica and…” he undid his arms from around Hillary’s waist and touched her stomach. “And with this little munchkin.” 

To Be Continued…


	18. Epilogue

**2 AND A HALF MONTHS LATER**

After a relatively uneventful and normal rest of her pregnancy, Bill and Hillary were given quite a shock and surprise when Hillary’s water suddenly broke two weeks ahead of her scheduled C-section. But luckily Chelsea Victoria Clinton was born a perfectly healthy and absolutely beautiful baby girl. Hillary was exhausted and sore but she was also deliriously happy over the birth of her second child. She had forgotten how magical newborns were and she was loving watching Bill be a father to their daughter. After Hillary had had to stay in the hospital for a few days to recover from her C-section, she was finally home from the hospital and relaxing with her family. Dorothy had flown out to Arkansas to help out with Jessica and Chelsea for a few days. While Dorothy was napping, Bill, Hillary, and Jessica were hanging out in the living room watching a movie together with Chelsea bundled up in Hillary’s arms.   
“Can we go to the park, mama?” Jessica suddenly asked.   
“But I thought you wanted to watch _Cinderella_, honey?” Hillary asked, taking her eyes off of Chelsea to look in Jessica’s direction. She had been grateful that so far since they got home from the hospital Jessica had seemed content to want to watch movies and hang out on the couch, since it was still difficult and painful for Hillary to move around but Hillary should have known that that would eventually wear off and Jessica would get restless and want to run around and play.   
“Yeah, we just brought your baby sister home, Jess,” Bill chuckled. “Don’t you want to spend time with her?”   
Jessica shook her head. “No. I don’t like her.”   
“Aww, that’s not very nice, sweetpea,” Bill said. He had noticed that Jessica had been having some jealousy issues ever since she had met Chelsea for the first time three days ago.   
“She won’t stop crying,” Jessica simply said. “I do not like her.”  
Hillary sighed. Jessica’s jealousy issues hadn’t escaped her either. “Babies cry, Jess. We don’t like it when she cries either.”   
“I thought having a baby sister would be more fun,” Jessica sadly sighed. “She doesn’t do anything.”   
Bill chuckled again, “We’ve been home for an hour, Jessie.”   
“Well, I already decided that I don’t like her,” Jessica said in a defiant tone.   
“I think she loves her big sister,” Hillary tried.   
“No, I don’t think so,” Jessica stubbornly shook her head.   
“I thought you were excited about having a baby sister, Jess?” Bill quietly asked.   
Jessica sighed and shook her head. “She doesn’t like it when I hold her.” She harshly sighed again. “Bill, will you hold me?”  
Bill nodded and patted his lap, “Of course, sweetie.” He figured anything to make things easier on Jessica right now.   
Jessica grinned as she crawled into Bill’s lap and he tightly squeezed her. She wrapped her arms around Bill’s neck.   
“I love you, Bill,” she sweetly said.   
“I love you, too, princess,” Bill grinned and kissed her cheek.   
“Please, not again,” Jessica rolled her eyes as Chelsea started loudly crying again.   
“It’s okay, I’ve got her,” Hillary said as she started trying to soothe Chelsea. “I think she’s hungry.”   
“This is so dumb,” Jessica sighed sadly. “I don’t like her!”   
Bill tickled her in an attempt to prevent Jessica from having a temper tantrum. He wanted things to be as calm as possible for Hillary. “Aww, Jessie. We’re a family. We should all be happy. This is a happy day. Right?” He smiled down at Jessica.   
“Well, can I try holding her?” Jessica asked Hillary.   
“Of course. As soon as I’m done feeding her,” Hillary said, nodding.   
Jessica nodded and crawled off of Bill’s lap. She sat beside Hillary on the couch and waited for her to finish feeding Chelsea.   
After a few minutes, Hillary finished feeding the baby, cleaned herself up, and helped get Chelsea situated in Jessica’s arms.   
“She’s so small,” Jessica commented, as she stared down at her baby sister.   
“Yep,” Hillary nodded, gently stroking Jessica’s hair. “You used to be that small when you were a baby.”   
“Yeah, I used to be _your_ baby,” Jessica harshly sighed.   
Hillary frowned and sighed. “You still are, kitty cat. You’ll always be my baby girl.”   
Jessica shook her head. “Nope. And stupid Chelsea gets to call Bill ‘Daddy.’ It’s not fair! We aren’t a family!” Jessica suddenly burst into tears.   
“Oh, kitty cat,” Hillary frowned and soothingly rubbed Jessica’s back. “We _are_ a family, baby girl.” She gently stroked Jessica’s cheek and wiped away her tears. “What’s wrong, my sweet girl?”   
Jessica shrugged. “Bill is Chelsea’s daddy and not mine,” she cried.   
Bill sat down beside Jessica and kissed the top of her head. “Oh, sweetheart, you know I’m always going to be here for you. I get to pick you up from daycare and tuck you in at night. We get to be friends.”   
“But I want you to be my real daddy. It’s not fair,” Jessica sniveled.   
“Honey,” Bill frowned. “I still do everything a dad’s supposed to do. Don’t I?” he double checked.   
“Yeah, baby,” Hillary nodded and rubbed Jessica’s back. “Bill is like your daddy.”   
“But now he’ll love Chelsea more,” Jessica loudly wailed. “I’m...not...his…” she sobbed out, tears rolling down her cheeks.   
“Jessie, look at me,” Bill said quietly.   
Jessica sniffed and looked up at him. “What?”   
Bill smiled down at her. “I love you _so_ much, Jess. Just as much as I love Chelsea. I know you already have a daddy but I’m _so_ incredibly happy to be a part of your life. I’m so glad you’re letting me be your friend.” He tried putting it in terms she would understand.   
Jessica finally cracked a smile through her tears and her sobbing slowed down. “I love you, Bill.”   
“And I love you, too, Princess,” Bill grinned.   
“No, I love you more!” Jessica giggled.   
Bill laughed and shook his head. “No way. I think I love you _more_!”   
Jessica nodded. “Mmmhmmm, way!” She giggled again.   
“Well I love you both _so_ very much,” Hillary softly smiled at the two of them.   
Jessica laughed and smiled up at her mom. “I think I will like Chelsea. If she ever stops crying,” she said just as Chelsea started getting fussy again.   
Hillary chuckled and scooped up Chelsea out of Jessica’s arms. “Shhh, shhh,” she tried calming Chelsea down just as the doorbell rang.   
“I’ll get it,” Bill said, figuring they would be getting company and visitors now that Hillary had had the baby and was home from the hospital.   
He got up and answered the door where Betsy and Melissa were standing on the front steps. They had flown in to Arkansas for a few days to meet Chelsea and to help Bill and Hillary out with the kids.   
“Hi, ladies,” Bill cheerfully greeted.   
“Hi!” Betsy chirped. “We brought some presents for you guys. And cupcakes.”   
“Aww, that was very nice of you girls. You didn’t have to do that,” Bill smiled at them. “Please come in.”   
He let the two women into the house. “Hill, we have some visitors.”   
Hillary looked up and saw her two best friends. “Oh, hey!” She excitedly grinned at the two women.   
“We won’t stay long. We have a hotel room. We know you must be exhausted,” Melissa said, leaning down to gently hug Hillary.   
Hillary shrugged. “I’m tired and sore but it's fine. I’m happy to see you girls.”   
“How are you liking being a big sister, Jessica?” Betsy asked her.   
Jessica shrugged. “I don’t know yet. She only cries. And mommy lets Chelsea sleep on her chest so I don’t get to.” Jessica frowned.   
“Aww,” Betsy said.   
Jessica shrugged again before Betsy could say anything else and went off to her room.   
Hillary sighed, “She’s having a bit of a hard time adjusting to Chelsea actually being here. I think we all are,” she nervously chuckled. “Moving to a whole other state and going from one to two kids in the span of six months isn’t easy.”   
“Well let us know if you ever need anything, Hill,” Melissa encouraged. “_Anything_.”   
Hillary smiled gratefully, “Thank you, girls.”   
“Maybe one of you could take Jessica to the park?” Bill realized. “She was asking earlier and Dorothy’s napping. I think she would feel better after running around and playing for a bit.”   
“I’m happy to take her,” Betsy nodded.   
“Great!” Hillary said. “I’ll go get her. Maybe the little girl around her age who lives across the street can come, too.” She gently passed Chelsea to Bill and carefully got up from the couch. She managed to shuffle her way down the hallway to Jessica's bedroom.   
She knocked on the door. “Jessie?”   
“I’m not coming out of my room,” Jessica yelled.   
Hillary frowned and opened the door. Jessica was playing with her dolls on the floor. “Why don’t you go to the park with Auntie Betsy?"   
Jessica shook her head. “I want you and Bill to take me.”   
“But, sweetie. Auntie Betsy _really_ wants to go to the park with you,” Hillary tried.   
Jessica sighed, “No thanks. I’ll just play Barbies in my room.”   
Hillary sighed and realized she’d have to try another tactic. “Well what if Bill stays here with Chelsea and I take you to the park?”   
Jessica thought about it for a minute and then shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”   
Hillary nodded. “Great. Let’s go then.” The two of them went back to the living room. “I’m going to take her to the park,” Hillary announced.   
Bill frowned. “Do you feel up for that, Hill?”   
“Not really,” she sighed. “But she’s having such a hard time with everything,” she whispered to Bill.   
“Hillary, you should be resting,” Bill said firmly. “You had a C-section.”   
“I’m fine,” Hillary insisted. “I can manage.”   
Bill frowned. “No, she can go with Betsy.”   
“Bill, I’m fine. Really,” she insisted. “I need her to know I’m still going to be there for her. Even with Chelsea in the picture,” she whispered to Bill.   
Bill sighed. He knew Hillary was stubborn and there was no way he could convince her not to go. “At least try to take it easy.”   
Hillary nodded, “I will.” She leaned over and quickly pecked Bill on the lips.   
“Let’s go, mama,” Jessica said after she had put her shoes on. She grabbed Hillary’s hand.   
“Bye, Chelsea,” Hillary cooed, leaning down to give Chelsea a gentle and soft kiss on the forehead.   
“We’ll see you two soon,” Bill smiled at his wife and stepdaughter.   
Hillary nodded, “See you in a bit.” 

* * * * *

“I don’t want a sister,” Jessica huffed as she and Hillary started walking to the park.   
Hillary sighed. “Chelsea loves you, sweetheart. She’s going to need her big sister.”  
Jessica shrugged. “Well I don’t need her.”   
“Jessica,” Hillary heavily sighed again. “I thought you were excited about having a baby sister.”   
Jessica just shrugged again.   
“Talk to me, Jessie,” Hillary urged, as they arrived at the park. She led Jessica over to a park bench and sat down with her. “Why are you so upset?” Hillary asked, her voice laced with concern, as she pulled Jessica on to her lap.   
“Because you and Bill are Chelsea’s real parents,” Jessica sadly sighed. “It’s not fair that she has two.” Jessica pouted.   
“Oh, sweetie,” Hillary sighed and gently squeezed Jessica. “_You’re_ the one who’s lucky, Jess. You get three parents who love you more than anything,” Hillary pointed out. “Just think of Bill as an extra dad. How many kids are lucky enough to have two dads who love them?”   
“Oh,” Jessica pondered what her mother just said. She nodded after a moment. “Yeah, you’re right.”   
Hillary smiled down at her daughter, glad to see that Jessica seemed to be in slightly better spirits now. “I know I’m right, honey.” She gently stroked Jessica’s hair.   
“We can go home now,” Jessica smiled up at Hillary.   
“Really? Are you sure? You don’t want to go play?” Hillary checked.   
Jessica shook her head. “Nuh-uh. I want to go home and play with you and Bill and Chelsea.”   
Hillary smiled, “Okay, let’s go home then.”   
She took Jessica’s hand and walked back home with her.   
“That was fast,” Bill remarked when the two of them walked back inside.   
Jessica nodded. “I didn’t want to play anymore. I feel better now.”   
“Oh, I’m so glad,” Bill smiled in relief as he gently placed a sleeping Chelsea down in her bassinet.   
“We got you and Chelsea and Jessica presents,” Betsy said to Hillary, handing them out to Bill, Jessica, and Hillary.   
“Aww, really?” Hillary smiled as she took the envelope from Betsy and gently sat down on the couch. “You didn’t have to do that.”   
“Of course we did!” Melissa said, gently smiling at Hillary.   
Hillary chuckled as she opened the envelope and found a gift certificate to a local spa and salon tucked inside the card.   
“Aww, thank you so much, girls,” Hillary brightly smiled at her two best friends. “I’ll be needing this soon,” she chuckled.   
“That’s what we figured, Hill,” Betsy chuckled. “And there’s some toys for Jessica and stuff for Chelsea too. And we brought congratulatory cupcakes for all of you.”   
“Aww, you girls are the best,” Hillary grinned and gave Betsy a hug.   
Melissa smiled at her best friend. “It was no problem at all. You guys deserve it. We’ll go back to our hotel now and let you get some rest but it was so great seeing you and meeting Chelsea. We’ll be back tomorrow if you're up for visitors.”   
Hillary nodded. “Thanks again, girls.”   
“Call us if you guys need anything,” Betsy encouraged. “We’ll be in town for a few days.”   
Hillary nodded.   
“Bye, Auntie Melissa! Bye Auntie Betsy!” Jessica sweetly said. “And thank you for the new Barbie.”   
“You’re very welcome, sweetie,” Betsy smiled and gave Jessica a peck on the top of her head.   
Jessica and Hillary waved goodbye as the two women left and they were left alone as their little family of four yet again. As Hillary scooped up baby Chelsea from her bassinet and gently cradled the sleeping infant against her chest and Jessica crawled into Bill’s lap and snuggled up against him, Hillary looked around the living room at the little family she had created. Her and Bill exchanged contented smiles with each other. In that moment Hillary thought that her life really couldn’t get any more perfect than it was in that exact moment. She decided she wouldn't want to trade the life she currently had for anything. She was exactly where she was meant to be and she was proud to be going through life with the person she was always destined to be with. 

**THE END **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! That's the end of the road for this one! It took me almost a year to finish this fic (since I started writing it months before I actually posted) but I did it. Hope you all enjoyed it and that these last few chapters could provide a distraction for you the last couple months. Thank you for reading. I appreciate it SO MUCH.  
And fear not because I have also been working on a slightly more angst filled sequel to this story set several years later if anyone would be interested in reading that? Let me know in the comments. :)


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